CESP 18

Chapter – 18

The Grand Prince of the Duchy of Chaiston was approaching Leo from afar, offering his congratulations.

Taking advantage of Leo’s distraction as he conversed with the Grand Prince, Seilia stood up quietly. With Eselyn, she moved toward the center of the banquet hall, as if they were running away.

As the next song began to play, countless gazes that had been scattered around the hall suddenly focused on the two of them.

Before becoming the Empress, Seilia had been known as the butterfly of the social world, constantly the subject of gossip. And now, beside her stood Prince Eselyn of the Kingdom of Barmalin, whose mere presence had been making women blush all evening.

As the next song began, those who didn’t plan to dance stepped back to the edges of the hall, while those who did moved into the center, where the dazzling lights shone perfectly.

Seilia and Eselyn stood facing each other.

“Do you dance well, Empress?”

“There’s nothing I can’t do.”

What an obvious question.  

After exchanging a slight bow, Seilia, who had been glancing at Leo the entire time, took her first step. But her foot twisted slightly, and she stumbled.

She had been so preoccupied with watching Leo that she hadn’t paid attention to where or how her feet were moving.

If she fell here, it would be the most humiliating moment of her life.

A hand suddenly wrapped around her waist to steady her. Startled, she looked up, only to see that it was, as expected, Eselyn.

Honestly, falling might have been less embarrassing.

“It seems the claim that you’re good at everything is true. Even falling, you do it so well.”

“Focus on the dance, please.”

Her dignity was nowhere to be found, and the longer this went on, the more embarrassed she became. She could no longer bear to look at Prince Eselyn.

Eselyn, however, openly displayed an amused expression, as if he found the flustered Seilia endearing.

But what was making Seilia the most uncomfortable at this moment wasn’t Eselyn’s honeyed gaze or the onlookers’ blatant curiosity.

It was Leo’s cold, piercing glare from behind her, as if it could bore a hole through her.

‘How dare you go off while I’m distracted?’

As Seilia turned her head toward Leo while dancing, their gazes met briefly. For the first time, she realized that communicating with just one’s eyes was possible.

I’m doomed. 

Her back tingled as if it had been struck.

As they exchanged uncomfortable glances from afar, Seilia noticed someone approaching Leo.

It was that wretched woman with purple hair and an innocent smile.

She had been so insignificant that Seilia hadn’t even realized she was at the wedding. But now, seeing her brazenly walking toward Leo, Seilia’s blood boiled.

The woman said something to Leo, who responded absentmindedly while still glaring in Seilia’s direction. The woman laughed, her face glowing with delight.

Does Leo know that this woman once sent assassins after me?  

Distracted by the scene, Seilia was startled when Eselyn’s soft voice reached her ears.

“Empress?”

“Yes?”

Oh no, I hadn’t heard a word he said.  

“I asked if you’d like to continue dancing for the next song.”

If she returned to the head table now, she’d surely be skewered by Leo’s sharp gaze.

“Yes, let’s keep dancing.”

As she whispered softly into Eselyn’s ear, his face reddened slightly as he looked down at her.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing, Your Majesty.”

‘Good, then.’

At that moment, Seilia saw Leo approaching the center of the hall with Princess Blair.

‘He looks absolutely thrilled.’

While Princess Blair trotted along like an excited puppy, Leo’s expression was icy as he walked toward them.

His gaze, unchanged from earlier, was still fixed on Seilia.

It felt as if the four people who should never meet were now gathered in one place, and a bloodbath was imminent.

As Seilia kept glancing nervously at Leo, Eselyn suddenly leaned closer, his face appearing right in front of hers.

With a low chuckle, he said,

“I understand that your husband is on your mind, but when you’re with me, please focus only on me.”

“…What are you talking about?”

The next song was relatively slow, giving them room to converse. Many others around them were also chatting quietly.

“When someone you want to befriend keeps looking at someone else, it’s only natural to feel jealous.”

As Eselyn spoke, moving only his beautiful lips, he added,

“Don’t you agree?”

Seilia couldn’t help but feel a strong urge to agree with him.

‘Why does he have to be so good-looking?’

She thought about how Eselyn had a knack for making the person next to him feel at ease.

Even on the day she had warned Princess Blair about her arrogant behavior, her anger had subsided quickly after meeting Prince Eselyn.

“You really have a way of calming me down.”

“In that case, please call for me whenever you’re upset.”

“I can be quite scary when I’m angry.”

“And stunningly beautiful, too, I might add.”

Despite his earlier declaration of wanting to remain friends, Prince Eselyn’s flirty remarks made Seilia laugh.

With his playful advances, it was clear to anyone that he had lingering feelings.

He was like a large dog, subtly crossing boundaries bit by bit.

When the music finally ended, Seilia gave Prince Eselyn a slight bow before discreetly returning to the head table.

No, she couldn’t stay there. If she did, Leo would likely come over, and she needed to avoid him at all costs.

Seilia headed toward the spacious terrace of the banquet hall. Hidden behind the curtains, she took a moment to catch her breath and collect her thoughts.

But why was she the one running away? She hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t as if she had cheated—well, not that it mattered anyway…

Why did she feel as if she had been caught doing something wrong by Leo?

Just then, the curtain was pulled back, and Leo stood before her, looking down at her.

“What… What is it?!”

Speak of the devil.

His cold, chilling voice filled the air like an icy wind.

“Where do you think you’re running off to?”

“I-I’m not running away!”

Seilia quickly stepped out from behind the curtain and leaned against the windowsill, pretending to admire the night view.

Leo, standing behind her, crossed his arms with a faint smirk, as if daring her to continue her act.

I can’t take this anymore.  

Her suppressed temper, which had been dormant for some time, began to resurface.

The words that had been lingering on her lips burst out all at once.

“Are you jealous or what? Make it clear!”

Now that she had started, she might as well finish.

Spinning around, Seilia pointed her finger at Leo and unleashed her frustration.

“You don’t even have feelings for me anymore, so what’s your problem? You’ve made it clear that we’re nothing more than strangers despite being married. So why do I have to endure this kind of treatment just because I danced with Prince Eselyn?!”

As Seilia caught her breath after her outburst, Leo took a step closer. When she stepped back, he took two steps forward.

His gaze, as if saying she couldn’t escape, added to the tension.

“It’s not jealousy. It’s possession.”

“What?”

Leo stepped even closer.

“I’ve never had feelings for you, not even once. But…”

He paused, looking down at her. Seilia, as if urging him to continue, stared up at him intently.

“For some reason, seeing you with Prince Eselyn makes me furious.”

Biting his lips in frustration, Leo ran his hands through his hair and turned around.

As he stormed off, Seilia stood there, stunned, watching him leave.

***

The wedding banquet gradually came to an end.

As the remaining guests departed, the moment Seilia had dreaded most began to approach.

The first night.

The very word carried a strange sense of unease.

With the conclusion of the wedding, Seilia would now leave the annex and reside in the Empress’s chambers within the Southern Palace.

She wasn’t sure whether to feel happy or sad about this—her emotions were a mix of everything.

After walking down the long corridor of the Southern Palace, she arrived at the entrance to the Empress’s chambers, which were lavishly decorated.

This room had housed hundreds of Empresses throughout history.

Even just peeking inside after slowly opening the door, it was clear at a glance that this room was far more spacious than the annex.

Every piece of furniture glistened with gold, adorning the vast room with elegance.

The entire room was imbued with an air of antique grandeur.

However, this was no time to admire the room.

On the left wall of their respective private chambers, there was another door that led to the shared bedroom.

Of course, as per the terms of their agreement, there was a bed in each private chamber.

But while it might be acceptable to sleep in their private rooms on other nights, spending the first night apart was not an option.

In the fast-paced gossip mill of the Imperial City, rumors of a couple who didn’t even spend their first night together would spread like wildfire.

Despite having only one mouth, people seemed to have dozens of tongues.

Tonight, no matter what, they had to share the communal bedroom.

As Seilia entered the bathroom, her mind was consumed with worries about how she should handle the night. She was so distracted that she barely noticed herself getting ready.

The mere thought of the bed and everything associated with it filled her mind with embarrassment and anxiety, leaving her restless.

After changing into a light chemise and finishing her preparations, Seilia, with trembling hands, opened the door to the shared bedroom.

The first night had begun.

When she opened the door with unsteady hands, she saw that, thankfully, the shared bedroom was empty except for her.

The man in question—Leo—had yet to arrive.

‘I wish he’d never come at all…’

Letting out a deep sigh of relief, she closed the door and took the opportunity to examine the bedroom while she waited.

The first thing that caught her eye, of course, was the bed.