🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 31
With a thunderous shout, the doors to the banquet hall swung open.
Through them strode a young man of diminutive stature, radiant golden hair, and violet eyes.
Freckles dotted the bridge of his nose, and his face still carried the innocent air of someone just past puberty.
“The Crown Prince? Did this novel even have a Crown Prince?”
Maybe it did… somewhere toward the end. The heroine would become the emperor’s adopted daughter, and there were countless characters who cared for and loved her besides the main male leads. Adding a Crown Prince brother wouldn’t change much.
Judging by the lack of any scene that immediately came to mind, it seemed the Crown Prince wasn’t an important character.
“Behold the Empire’s little sun.”
The gathered nobles hurriedly bowed as he passed, their respect perfunctory but precise. I did the same, nodding awkwardly.
Leading his attendants across the hall, the Crown Prince ascended the dais and naturally claimed the central seat.
“Everyone, lift your heads.”
His cheerful, unbroken youthful voice rang above the hall.
“Good evening. Thank you all for making time despite your busy schedules.”
“….”
“Tonight’s banquet was meant to celebrate the suppression of the gate in northern Tezeron, hosted by Duke Belnac. Unfortunately, the Duke is unable to attend due to circumstances.”
“….”
“I will be presiding in his stead, so I hope you enjoy yourselves.”
As the Crown Prince concluded his opening speech, the paused music resumed.
“The Duke can’t come?”
Vincent tilted his head, muttering under his breath.
It wasn’t just him—nobles murmured in puzzled tones, their faces reflecting the same doubt.
“Circumstances? The gate has already been sealed. What kind of circumstances could there be?”
“I came to see the Duke in the capital two days ago… what is this?”
“Is it really proper for His Highness to host a banquet already? He hasn’t even awakened yet…”
“Exactly. Did he even ask for permission, tsk.”
Even without listening closely, it was clear where the power dynamics lay. The nobles subtly looked down on the young Crown Prince, still unawakened.
“Just because he has a little ability doesn’t mean they have to treat him like dirt.”
I clicked my tongue and observed the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, no noble dared approach him. The atmosphere made it obvious, yet he held his ground.
Chin raised, lips pressed stubbornly together, he radiated a fierce determination to reclaim his authority.
― No matter who you are, even a princess, the unawakened nobles are always like this.
The Duke’s words came to mind. I’d found them irritating at the time.
‘You can survive on your wits if you have to, can’t you?’
Not everyone was an Awakened. Only about 5% of the population was. Did the rest just sit back and hope Awakened people would save them?
‘I can still use my skills to live well!’
But watching the Crown Prince now, I understood why the Duke had said it. Living equally with Awakened people required supportive circumstances. In a rigid, caste-based society like this one, meritocracy ruled survival.
“…True. The world I lived in wasn’t much different.”
Even in a technologically advanced modern society, invisible hierarchies existed. Awakened were the ruling class; non-Awakened, the ruled. Seeing the Crown Prince slighted by nobles, and the adopted daughter bullied by real daughters, it all felt universally unfair.
“Why, seeing you after so long, do you feel a sense of kinship?”
A mocking voice sliced through my thoughts. I looked up to find Vincent glaring down at me with an amused expression.
“There’s no need to pity the Crown Prince. He may seem gentle, but unlike you, he’s not someone to underestimate.”
“….”
“Do you really think the Duke couldn’t attend due to circumstances? He hosted this banquet to celebrate his own victory.”
I frowned. ‘What nonsense.’ My nose was three inches from the ground; who was pitying whom?
‘And whether the Duke comes or not is none of my business.’
It was better for me if the four male leads weren’t present.
“Not going to find Lrelin?”
I told him to go! I asked, tinged with irritation. He shot me a disgruntled look.
“She hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Then when she does, talk to her. I don’t want to waste time speaking to you, but I’ll take this small favor, won’t you?”
A vein bulged on Vincent’s forehead.
“You really… ever since last time…”
Then—
Flash!
Suddenly, a bolt of light erupted in the center of the hall, forming a bright cluster in midair.
Shh, shhh…
The tiny point of light quickly grew, expanding from a dot to the size of a quail egg, then a baseball, then a soccer ball. The cluster finally shaped itself into a human form.
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
“…Teleportation?”
Among the Awakened, some could move freely through space. Commonly called teleportation. But I was shocked not merely because of the ability, but because it was used inside the palace.
‘Aren’t abilities restricted in the palace?!’
In the novel, using abilities within the palace could be considered treason, punishable by death.
‘And yet someone’s boldly teleporting into a hall full of young Awakened!’
At that moment, my thoughts were cut off abruptly.
Whoosh!
The light coalesced into a full human form and vanished explosively, revealing two figures.
“Ugh!”
One shabby, robed man saw the crowd and ducked behind a pillar.
The other strode confidently into the center of the hall. Jet-black hair, dark eyes, a black tailcoat with golden embroidery, rough black fur draped over his shoulders—it was a striking, imposing presence.
“Ah—everyone having fun? Had a little trouble on the way, so I’m late.”
He waved casually, as if no one mattered. His hand was covered in thick black blood, which dripped onto the white marble floor.
“H-Huh! D-Duke Belnac?!”
“H-How did you—?!”
Everyone gasped at the sudden, towering presence of the Duke. But I—
I was looking not at his deadly aura, but at the top of his head.
95%.
‘Is he insane?!’
The fourth male lead was on the verge of going berserk. The thought of this man roaming freely reminded him of recent nightmares with Eston. Trigger him, and he would go on a slaughtering spree.
‘Where’s the heroine! Where is she!’
I searched desperately for the heroine to calm him. But instead—
“AAAAHH!”
A shabby middle-aged man tumbled out.
Thud!
He collapsed unceremoniously, caught by the fourth male lead, who had grabbed his nape and slammed him down. The man dropped a sack he’d been carrying.
“W-What’s that?”
“B-Blood, isn’t it?”
The sack was stained with black blood, and several nobles screamed.
“Careful. My precious spoils shouldn’t be damaged, tsk.”
“I-I’m sorry, Duke! I-I’m sorry!”
The middle-aged man trembled like a leaf, kneeling and begging.
‘A teleportation user…?’
The fourth male lead only had one ability. That man had to be a teleportation user. Yet the way he was treated… it was as if he were a slave.
‘Handling teleportation users like that…?’
Even in the modern world I came from, teleporters were highly valued, especially those who could transport others—clearly at least an A-rank.
As I scrutinized them, a sharp voice cut through the hall.
“W-What do you think you’re doing, Duke?!”
Startled, I looked up to see the Crown Prince glaring at the fourth male lead, face pale with anger.
The Duke smirked.
“Ah, an uninvited guest pretending to be the host.”
“Y-You impudent fool! Show respect!”
“Perfect timing, Your Highness. I was planning to prove my loyalty soon anyway.”
Despite the Crown Prince’s anger, the Duke strode forward calmly.
Step by step, he approached the sack the middle-aged man had dropped, lifted it with one hand, and rummaged through it.
Moments later, he pulled out a heavy, watermelon-sized tuft of fur.
The fourth male lead tossed it carelessly toward the Crown Prince.
Thud.
It rolled precisely to his feet.
“This is the head of a griffin from the Caspian Gorge.”
“….”
“Rumor has it that cooking the brain allows one to awaken. So I cut it as soon as we caught it.”
The sharp eyes and yellow beak belonged to none other than a severed beast’s head.
