Chapter 12: The Emperor’s Gaze

As she walked towards the main palace where the banquet hall was located, her throat grew increasingly parched. She tightened her clasped hands, striving to conceal their subtle tremor, and quickened her pace.

In the past, whenever she attended banquets, she always felt intimidated, having neither a partner nor attendants to follow her.

But now, she knew that such timidity only made her a target for those who scorned her.

Perhaps her own rock-bottom self-esteem, stemming from feeling utterly alone, had made her so helplessly susceptible to the Emperor’s allure.

As she silently vowed not to repeat the same mistakes and calmed her mind, her steps had already led her to the grand banquet hall’s entrance.

She swept a lock of hair slightly aside, ensuring the brooch pinned to her chest was clearly visible.

This golden brooch was given to those with free access to the Imperial Palace, like imperial ladies-in-waiting. The attendant, recognizing it, bowed without a word and opened the doors for her.

***

The grand banquet hall shone resplendently, as if every effort had been made to showcase the Empire’s might.

Beneath a ceiling magically transformed to resemble a mystical night sky, layered crystal chandeliers hung, cascading light like a milky way.

Imposing marble pillars, etched with intricate golden patterns, amplified the hall’s majestic ambiance.

Crimson-violet curtains draped over each grand window softened the air, preventing it from becoming overly bright.

The atmosphere of the banquet hall was superb, a testament to the frantic, tireless efforts put into its preparation.

As this was the first interaction with the Kingdom of Tellua, it seemed perfectly suited to display the Empire’s grandeur to the delegation.

Turning her back on the soft music played by the orchestra, she slowly walked across the velvet carpet.

The laughter of nobles gathered in small groups, intertwined with the clear clinking of transparent glasses, created a gentle hum of sound.

Selonia straightened her back, moving forward while silently ignoring the gazes fixed upon her, as if accustomed to them.

Near the dais, Princess Consort Camilla, accompanied by Mariam Monclaire, was receiving greetings from the noblewomen. Selonia’s gaze drifted towards the central dance hall, and she paused for a moment.

‘Vanessa Bernac.’

True to her moniker as the ‘Flower of Society,’ she shimmered even from a distance, surrounded by noble ladies in her dazzling attire.

Suddenly, Selonia recalled Vanessa’s voice, screaming with malice before the regression.

“Do you truly believe His Majesty loves you? In the end, he chose me to be Empress! You’re nothing more than a pretty toy Alix will play with for a while and then discard.”

She had refused to believe it, yet Vanessa’s words had ultimately proven true. Except, she wasn’t merely a toy played with and discarded; she was a toy used expediently, then cast aside once her purpose was served.

In the time after her own death by fire, Vanessa must have become Empress. Had she, having finally claimed Alix as she wished, found happiness? The thought crossed her mind, but it was something she would never truly know.

Even so, she felt no resentment or hatred towards Vanessa Bernac. No, Vanessa might scoff if she knew, but Selonia even felt a touch of gratitude.

Had Vanessa not deliberately stormed Belua Palace, meticulously revealing every detail and provoking her, Selonia would have died without ever knowing the truth until her very last moment.

As if sensing the distant gaze, Vanessa, surrounded by people, turned her head in Selonia’s direction.

Before the regression, whenever Vanessa looked at her like this, Selonia would avert her eyes, pretending indifference, and quickly move away.

Selonia met Vanessa’s direct gaze without flinching, giving a slight nod of her head. It was a gesture of gratitude for a moment in life that the current Vanessa would never remember.

Perhaps expecting Selonia to hastily retreat as always, a flicker of surprise crossed Vanessa’s arrogant face, typically radiating the pride of a Bernac noblewoman.

After a moment of apparent deliberation, Vanessa raised one eyebrow and returned the greeting.

Feeling a sense of slight relief, Selonia walked to one side of the hall, leaning against a secluded wall as if to melt into it. Not everyone’s gaze was on her, yet she could feel the stares of several nobles.

She knew her lack of interaction might seem odd, but she couldn’t help it. As the banquet’s official start drew nearer, it became increasingly difficult to calm her racing heart.

Deliberately, she curved her lips into a faint smile, then inhaled deeply and slowly.

Fortunately, the orchestra’s performance ceased shortly thereafter. In the silence that followed the sweet melody, a chamberlain’s voice boomed, announcing the Emperor’s entrance.

All eyes of the nobles turned in unison towards the man slowly ascending the dais.

The man, with lustrous red hair and golden eyes—the symbol of the imperial family—gazed down at the people below the dais with his characteristic arrogant expression.

Tall, with a well-proportioned, muscular physique and handsome features. Even setting aside his status as Emperor, he possessed every quality that women of marriageable age coveted.

“Alix Ardia…”

A voice, barely audible, escaped her crimson lips. Seeing that man, she knew with absolute certainty that she had indeed regressed. Otherwise, there would be no reason for such profound fury and despair to engulf her.

Her fingertips, which had been subtly trembling moments before, now froze like ice. Upon the dais, he appeared utterly blameless and dignified, as if he had committed no offense.

Even she, armed with memories of her past life and knowing what truly lay hidden behind that serene, gentle face, felt a wave of confusion.

Seeing his hair glinting like flames beneath the sparkling chandeliers, the horrific scene on the pyre, where she couldn’t even scream, resurrected itself like a nightmare.

With the illusion of her vision burning red, Selonia squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.

“Bastard…”

It was the moment her efforts to face Alix with composure shattered into fragments. When Selonia, having uttered a small curse, opened her eyes again, her agitation had already been quelled.

Soon, Alix’s congratulatory speech began, delivered in the very same detestable voice that had once greedily caressed her body and whispered, ‘It can’t be helped.’

“Noble guests who illuminate the great Ardian. And distinguished guests of Tellua, who have traveled far to become our friends.”

The familiar voice she had once adored now sounded more grating than any discord.

She yearned to hide behind a pillar to avoid Alix’s gaze, but enduring it was essential, otherwise her presence at the banquet would be meaningless.

Alix, who had captured everyone’s attention, then raised his glass and slowly began to survey the banquet hall.

His gaze swept from the banquet tables to the center of the hall, meeting the eyes of high-ranking nobles, including the Princess Consort.

He observed those furtively glancing at their chosen dance partners for when the music began after his speech, and the Telluan delegation. Then, Alix’s eyes turned in Selonia’s direction.

Her heart pounded in her ears. Her spot was in the farthest corner of the hall, near a frequently used passage for palace staff, so there was no noble he would specifically notice there.

After surveying the entire hall, he soon turned his head, raised the glass higher, and continued his address.

“Today, we open a new chapter in history. For six hundred years, the Empire has enjoyed the bounty and prosperity bestowed upon us by Ardiel.

Now, Ardiel’s radiance extends to our distant, yet close, neighbor, Tellua, and the Imperial Family has willingly decided to share this blessing with them.

Soon, the Empire’s grain will nourish Tellua’s lands and satiate its hungry people. Our alliance, too, shall be eternal under Ardiel’s grace.”

Applause erupted throughout the banquet hall in response. This was precisely the purpose for the Telluan delegation’s visit, as their kingdom had suffered from a prolonged drought.

Exporting wheat at a high price benefited the Empire, but it was also a welcome development for the Kingdom of Tellua, where public sentiment had been turbulent due to its starving populace, so the delegation’s expressions seemed bright.

Selonia, more than anyone, knew that this arrangement wouldn’t necessarily bring only good to Tellua.

However, her mind was already too tangled to contemplate the storm clouds gathering over the Kingdom of Tellua.

‘He definitely looked this way.’

Earlier, when he had surveyed the hall, his gaze had undeniably fallen upon her.

She had hastily lowered her head, preventing their eyes from meeting for long, but his gaze had been too distinct to dismiss as a mere illusion.