Chapter – 49
Now all that remained was for us to part ways.
“Well then, Marquis, I’ll see you later—”
“One moment, my lady.”
Cesare gently caught my wrist.
Then he accepted a piece of finger food from a passing servant and fed it to me.
It was an apple-mint crêpe, refreshing with a pleasant sharpness.
“Oh? This is delicious!”
I was genuinely surprised.
“The mint flavor is quite nice, isn’t it? It’s the best finger food served at imperial banquets.”
As he lightly brushed a few crumbs from my lips, Cesare said,
“I thought you might be hungry after dancing, so I wanted to offer you something good right away.”
The wording sounded strangely like he was talking about the past.
I was too busy chewing to answer and only blinked.
Cesare smiled quietly.
“You see, I used to imagine dancing with a girl I admired from afar at a banquet. And all the things I would want to do afterward.”
Oh, I see.
I swallowed the crêpe and nodded.
There was no way a man as handsome as Cesare had never danced with a girl he liked. More likely, he simply hadn’t been able to attend noble banquets because he was a commoner.
“Here. You might be thirsty too.”
After finishing the sparkling water he handed me, I felt wonderful.
When I was younger, I had attended banquets, but I usually fled back to the ducal estate before any dancing began. So I had never known that dancing left you both hungry and thirsty.
“Would you like to try this too? It seems to be a caramel cookie with a little salt added for flavor.”
“Ah, yes. Give me one.”
Curiously, Cesare wasn’t eating anything himself.
Instead, he simply watched me enjoy everything he handed over with a satisfied expression.
After spending a few minutes snacking, I waved goodbye first.
I had somewhere I needed to be.
“Well then, Marquis, I’ll really see you later.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Cesare nodded lightly.
“It’s time for me to wake up from the dream as well.”
Ignoring his mysterious comment, I turned around and strode across the ballroom.
By the time I had gone far enough that even if I looked back I could no longer see him, someone suddenly approached me.
“Lady Kiana.”
The person addressing me politely was none other than Avian, dressed in his guard commander’s uniform.
“Would you honor me with the next dance?”
The invitation was respectful and perfectly mannered.
“Huh? Ah…”
Avian?
I glanced at the clock.
His invitation was unexpected enough to catch me off guard.
Still, refusing a dance without a good reason would be rude.
So I answered politely,
“My stamina isn’t very good, so I’d like to rest from dancing for a bit. How about an hour from now instead?”
“That sounds fine. Where shall we meet in an hour?”
Before I could answer, another voice interrupted.
“Oh ho. So our Fifth Guard Commander is asking ladies to dance now.”
The mockery was unmistakable.
“How impressive. Truly impressive.”
The speaker wore the same commander’s uniform as Avian.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties, broad-shouldered and powerfully built.
And judging by his insignia…
He was the commander of the First Guard Division—the most powerful division in the Imperial Guard.
Once, he had served as the Crown Prince’s personal knight.
He had also been one of the participants in the infamous final hunting picnic.
A faint smell of alcohol already lingered around him.
The banquet had only recently begun, yet he seemed to have consumed quite a bit of wine.
Sneering, he continued,
“You ignored your superior’s orders and raided a club house. And now what? Planning to get married?”
Avian visibly stiffened.
“Commander Nyx, what exactly do you mean by—”
“What? Am I wrong?”
Nyx smirked.
“Just because you’re from a high-ranking noble family, you think military discipline doesn’t apply to you.”
“I never—”
“Didn’t you? You went after that club house without even reporting to me.”
Nyx swaggered as he picked a fight.
Normally, rank within the Imperial Guard depended more on ability than social status.
Even commoners could outrank nobles.
Nyx himself came from an insignificant provincial baron family, yet he treated Avian however he pleased.
As a result, Avian had eventually become the only noble left within the Guard.
Nyx muttered under his breath,
“And after throwing away regulations, the woman you’re chasing is merely the disgrace of House Frelai…”
I valued interaction in all things.
So naturally, I responded immediately.
“I can hear you, idiot.”
Silence fell around us.
Of course, Nyx was the one who had to bow first.
I wasn’t a member of the Guard.
He quickly composed himself and offered a formal greeting.
“It is an honor to meet the beautiful lady of House Frelai.”
Unfortunately, he staggered slightly while bowing and stepped on my foot.
Since I was a refined young lady, I didn’t make a scene over such a small mistake.
Instead, I returned his greeting politely.
“Hello. Meeting the Empire’s incompetent guard commander has been rather unpleasant.”
Then I added,
“As far as I know, the Guard’s regulations prohibit intoxication under any circumstances.”
I blinked innocently.
“If criminals attacked right now, Commander, wouldn’t you become the shame of the Guard?”
Then I clapped my hands once.
“Or perhaps the shame of Prince Hiten, who personally appointed you as Commander of the First Guard?”
No wonder the enforcement against those club houses had been such a disaster.
Even though Avian had done an excellent job dismantling one, Nyx still mocked him for it.
Nyx was just about to snap back at me.
I stepped on his foot with my high heel.
Hard.
“AAAGH!”
He let out a shriek.
“M-My lady?! Why would you—”
I was the sort of person who always answered questions sincerely.
“Why does it hurt so much?”
I smiled sweetly.
“Because the area is smaller. Pressure equals force divided by area.”
No one seemed to understand the explanation.
Still glaring at him coldly, I continued,
“This isn’t the Guard headquarters.”
Then I pressed down harder.
“AAAAAAAGH!”
Honestly, I wanted to crush his foot completely.
But this wasn’t the right time.
I couldn’t ruin the trap I had spent so much effort preparing because of a minor nuisance like him.
Besides, the Crown Prince is going to deal with him eventually anyway.
According to the original story, Nyx—one of the members of the final picnic—would become one of the Crown Prince’s first targets.
And since the Crown Prince had begun moving much earlier than expected, Nyx might be on his way to the afterlife at any moment.
So I generously offered him some advice.
“Commoners shouldn’t casually call the daughter of House Frelai a disgrace.”
I smiled.
“Understood, Commander Shame-of-the-Guard?”
Despite screaming in pain, Nyx suddenly found himself speechless.
I finally lifted my heel from his foot.
“Coward.”
At my short but devastating remark, several spectators nearby snorted with laughter before hurriedly covering their mouths.
“Y-You…”
Nyx stepped closer.
The smell of wine grew stronger.
Suddenly my stomach churned.
“Urgh…”
I was reminded of the time I’d drunk heavily with High Priest Meyer.
I’d thought I had fully recovered afterward.
But the scent of alcohol now felt absolutely revolting.
Still, there was nothing I could do about it here, so I forced the nausea down.
“Anyway.”
I looked at him calmly.
“Did you have something you wished to say to me, the one and only daughter of House Frelai?”
“…”
“These days my grandfather absolutely adores me.”
“…”
“Oh, and perhaps you didn’t know, but Leah Clona, the editor-in-chief of Lorelei, is also a very close friend of mine.”
“…”
“Now that I think about it, even if you did have something to say, keeping your mouth shut would probably be the wiser choice.”
I nodded approvingly.
“Good judgment. I’ll even praise you for it.”
Then I raised my chin and continued needling him with a completely expressionless face.
Watching Nyx seethe helplessly put me in an excellent mood.
“Anyway, Avian.”
Without revealing my growing nausea, I turned toward him.
“Let’s meet in Tulip Hall in one hour. I already have another appointment.”
With that, I adjusted the crimson flower ornament resting atop my head and walked away.
