Chapter 12
My twenty-ninth birthday banquet was personally organized by my mother.
I could have taken charge since it was my own celebration, but… I couldn’t overcome the laziness.
The banquet was held magnificently in our family’s mansion, the so-called Venus Hall of the Rose Palace.
Venus Hall, as lavish as the Levantea royal palace’s banquet hall, was filled with a suffocatingly strong scent of roses.
Even through the tightly shut doors of the waiting room, the fragrance seeped in.
Dizzying. My mother knew I didn’t favor roses, yet she insisted. She said she could never understand why I rejected the most universally beautiful flower.
Dressed and made up, I was ready to enter. Straightening my shoulders and tightening my posture, I stood in front of the door leading to the second floor of the banquet hall. The maids fussed over my attire until the last moment. I lightly sighed while smoothing the voluminous lavender satin of my skirt with my fingertips.
…Phew. I want to take this off and return to Blansk the moment it’s over.
“Lady Alisa, you look absolutely beautiful. I hope you meet someone today who truly captivates you.”
My maid, Katarina, seemed genuinely hopeful. I responded jokingly, I wonder if that will really happen.
Squeeeak. The double doors opened wide in front of me. The dazzling chandelier light poured over me like a fountain. I instinctively closed my slightly narrowed eyes, then reopened them.
Holding the front of my skirt, I stepped onto the balcony stage on the second floor and stood before the railing.
“Thank you for coming. I am Alisa Fernanda Karen de Lasantia, Viscountess.”
Placing my hand over my chest, I bowed to greet everyone.
Holding the railing with one hand and my skirt with the other, I descended the circular staircase. I made eye contact with each person, scanning the crowd.
I was both accustomed to and uncomfortable with everyone’s attention. And the southern roses my mother chose were far too pungent. I forced my nose to relax and smiled brightly.
In that moment, I realized something unusual. Seven out of ten men were dressed in black tailcoats. Among them were a few whom I had invited to Blansk. I also noticed the faces of men who had sent proxy marriage proposals.
Seems like almost every unmarried nobleman has come.
Counts of the Dacosta Counts, the Vasquez Marquises, the Pereto Barons… the younger sons without inheritances had all arrived in a row.
Ladies fanned themselves with feather fans like duchesses. Young women draped in the latest fashions. Most female attendees were familiar faces from the social circle. Nobles from the capital of Levant had come en masse. The power of our family after the war was evidently impressive.
Just greeting them with my eyes was exhausting. The only comforting sight was my military academy classmates huddled in one corner, waving to me warmly in their green-brown uniforms. I smiled back and waved.
As soon as I stepped into the hall, gentlemen in tailcoats converged toward me.
Like a flock of crows spotting prey.
“Viscountess, may I have the honor of being your first dance partner?”
Roberto, the third son of the Vasquez Marquis, who walked the fastest, approached me and extended his hand.
“I think it’s too early to dance, Mr. Vasquez.”
Impatient, were we? The music currently playing was not a dance piece. From the opposite side of the hall, only a delicate trio of piano, cello, and violin could be heard.
“Ah, was I too hasty? I am deeply apologetic for being so rash, captivated by your fresh beauty, which never fades.”
He bowed elaborately as he apologized. For some reason, I didn’t want to engage at all.
I turned my gaze sharply. Other “crows” glared at me.
Whether imagined or not, their eyes seemed menacing, like hyenas circling a dying carcass.
Sipping champagne, I deflected every dance request that came flooding in. I darted my eyes around, looking for an escape.
Maybe I should flee to the balcony just before the dance begins.
Ah, no. My mother was watching me with hawk-like eyes from her seat in the lord’s box.
Ding-ding.
A clear bell rang, like a signal of salvation. Our family steward, Ramirez, announced the appearance of King Salesio.
My first dance partner should be my maternal grandfather. I don’t want any unnecessary scandals.
“The King approaches!”
The King’s arrival had not been announced to the attendees. The sudden news left everyone frozen, staring at the door at the top of the staircase.
The doors opened, and the King entered, followed by the royal guard captain and staff.
The orchestra conductor panicked briefly but began the national anthem of Levantea. The musicians corrected a few discordant notes and then started a grand performance.
I noted the King’s hair amidst the long trumpet sounds.
It had a vivid red, as if freshly dyed. Though it was late spring to early summer, he wore a crisp white uniform. On his head rested a pure gold crown that almost glowed yellow.
Attendees bowed in unison, like rice stalks ready for harvest.
The King walked toward me with a satisfied smile. I greeted him at the perfect moment.
“I greet His Majesty, the sun of the Kingdom of Levantea. Thank you for granting me your precious time.”
“Oh, my granddaughter Alisa. You bloom like a full rose. Happy twenty-ninth birthday.”
The King smiled kindly and gestured to the aide behind him. The aide carried a heavy box, about the size of a person’s head, toward me.
“You seem vigorous as ever, Your Majesty. But… what is this?”
“Open it yourself.”
The box had a gold frame, dark red silk lining, and a ruby embedded in the center.
Could this be the beautiful treasure mentioned in the royal decree before?
The attendees watched silently, as if at an opera, curious about what the King had brought for his granddaughter.
I had to see the contents to decide whether to accept it.
Lifting the lid revealed…
A tiara.
Intricately woven platinum set with 3-carat diamonds. Five red gems spaced evenly across the middle.
Upon closer inspection, they weren’t rubies—they were red diamonds. Fewer than twenty raw stones of this kind had been found across the continent.
In short, it was exceedingly rare and magnificent. Even my mother, a princess, would find it extravagant. It was comparable to what the late Queen had worn during the founding ceremony.
The crowd gasped in awe, clearly seeing its value even from a distance.
“Your Majesty, I am honored, but I feel overwhelmed. Even as a royal descendant, this is… too much.”
“No need for humility. As your grandfather, I am giving you something that suits you. Doesn’t the red diamonds resemble your hair color?”
The King pointed to the gems with a wrinkled finger and smiled.
“Is this treasure from D’vorca?”
“It wasn’t a finished piece. I retrieved these gems from the abandoned palace and had it custom-made.”
It was crafted from D’vorca royal jewels obtained during the war.
I wanted to say, Isn’t that looting? but held my tongue with so many ears around.
“Though I appreciate it, I doubt I will ever wear it on my head.”
I whispered, careful not to be overheard. It would hold value as a collectible, but its true worth would be when returned to its original owner someday.
“No, Alisa, the day will come soon when you will wear this tiara. It is meant for your head on that day.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
Would I really wear this tiara? Perhaps when I officially inherit the viscount title? But I might get ridiculed for playing queen.
The King gazed at me meaningfully.
“My beloved Alisa, the truly beautiful treasure I have prepared for you is yet to come.”
“Pardon? What more will you give me?”
“I shall place this tiara on your head myself… a man.”
A man?
Did he just say a man?
I was speechless. A man as a treasure?
Does this mean a war captive from D’vorca? Most were released after the war…
And this man… would put the tiara on my head?
Could it be that my grandfather has lost his judgment with age?
“…Your Majesty, I’m terribly sorry, but—”
“He shall be your husband.”
The King spoke clearly and loudly, as if to ensure everyone at my birthday banquet heard.
