Abandoned Empress's Survival Manual Beside the Male Lead - Chapter 70

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 70
* * *
The ball began in early evening.
Before leaving, I slipped into the washroom and set Ratku, who had been flying about, down in front of the sink basin, cradling him to my chest.
“Ratku. Look at this.”
“Ratku?”
“I snuck this along for you.”
What I pulled from my arms was a pair of ribbons made from the exact same fabric as my dress.
They seemed to be leftover scraps from when the dress was made, but when I tried fastening them to myself, they didn’t suit me well, so I’d taken them off.
I’d secretly kept them, and now I tied one to each of Ratku’s ears.
“How do you look? See, see?”
Ratku didn’t cast a reflection in the mirror. But he did reflect in water—when I poured some into the sink basin, Ratku immediately lowered his round face to peer at it.
“Isn’t it adorable?”
Ratku’s curled tail fluttered at once.
“Wow! Same as Relei! Same as Relei!”
Delighted, Ratku tilted himself this way and that to see his reflection, then broke into a broad grin and spun around.
“Relei and Ratku match perfectly!”
“But Ratku.”
“Ratku?”
“Won’t the ribbons just float around in midair where other people can see them?”
“You think too little of Ratku.”
“Think too little?”
“Ratku!”
When Ratku blinked his beady black eyes, a blue shimmer rippled across the ribbons. Without needing an explanation, I understood that now others wouldn’t be able to see them either.
Ratku followed me with pride, and the two maids, dressed far more neatly than usual, came out behind me.
“Grand Duchess.”
Waiting outside was Gabin. My eyes widened.
‘I almost didn’t recognize him.’
Gabin always wore the same knight’s uniform, but this time he was dressed in formal court attire—deep navy robes for a palace reception.
Embroidered across his chest was the crest of House Gonet: two crossed swords. It marked him as a member of the Gonet Knights.
Even his hair was combed neatly back.
As I stared at him, Gabin rubbed his cheek awkwardly.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No. I’m just surprised.”
“Is something wrong?”
“You look good, that’s why I’m surprised.”
“……Thank you for the compliment.”
I assessed him seriously.
“You’re actually quite handsome. Aren’t you?”
“That’s right!”
“Captain, you should dress like this all the time!”
The maids immediately chimed in, and embarrassment flashed plainly across Gabin’s face. Then suddenly he glanced around. We followed his gaze.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, ma’am.”
Gabin cleared his throat before speaking.
“The head maid insisted I wear this and literally threw it at my face. I’d wear it whenever ordered, but she made such a fuss about me returning it clean that I thought I should ask permission first.”
“Briget threw it at your face?”
“Yes.”
“……When?”
“At Gonet Castle.”
……
‘Is it just my imagination?’
It felt like he was tattling on me.
Our chatter with the maids, punctuated now and then by Gabin’s remarks, didn’t last long.
As we drew closer to the Grand Banquet Hall, crowds of people thickened noticeably.
The maids departed for the servants’ quarters, while I entered the vast Grand Banquet Hall on Gabin’s arm.
* * *
‘It’s enormous.’
As I tilted my head back to gaze at the distant ceiling, wonder washed over me. Even standing still, the breath came freely in such vastness.
The Grand Banquet Hall was truly staggering.
On each marble column stood sculpted goddesses pointing toward the dais, while freshly hung crimson organza rippled beautifully across the walls.
Sugar Swan and Soldier Figurines were arranged prettily on the tables, and baskets overflowing with fruit and flowers were scattered throughout the hall.
Sweet music drifted softly through the space, adding to the atmosphere.
The murmur of voices, the clink of glasses, the ripple of laughter.
The marble beneath my feet was cool, yet the air flowing above it carried the honeyed sweetness of warmed beeswax and flowers.
The noblewomen savored the festive mood while being far too busy committing every detail of this beautiful Grand Banquet Hall to memory.
They were clearly all thinking of how to recreate it at parties in their own estates and castles.
Broadening one’s taste is a worthy pursuit, after all.
I found myself wondering.
Who had taken such care to arrange all of this?
The Imperial Palace of Gaiard currently has no Empress to oversee such an event.
After the Crown Prince and Crown Princess died in an accident, she fell ill from grief and passed away at a young age.
At the time, she had been the Crown Prince’s wife and the Crown Princess, but still.
When the Emperor proclaimed himself, he elevated both his dead son and his wife posthumously.
Since then, the Emperor has taken no new Empress. He has other consorts and more children, so there was no particular need to concern himself with matters of succession.
‘Then it must have been the Empress Dowager who arranged this.’
Indeed, the Empress Dowager was a woman of formidable ability to match her fearsome reputation.
I asked Gabin quietly.
“When do you think the Grand Duke will arrive?”
“I haven’t received any separate word yet.”
“Still nothing?”
I hadn’t heard anything special either, so I’d already braced myself for the possibility.
“He might not come at all.”
“No, Grand Duchess. If His Highness said he would come, he will certainly arrive.”
I nodded.
How much Sherkan would treasure seeing a sight as beautiful as this.
“He will certainly come, Grand Duchess.”
Gabin emphasized it once more, his voice steady. I smiled.
It struck me sometimes that Sherkan was far more than just a lord to him.
Heaven itself? A god?
I had barely opened my mouth to speak.
A long trumpet fanfare suddenly overwhelmed the chatter filling the hall.
“His Imperial Majesty approaches!”
As the chamberlain’s call rang out, every eye in the hall shifted at once. When the Emperor appeared on the dais, everyone bowed deeply.
The Emperor, draped in a cloak of golden brocade, smiled benevolently.
“Rise, all of you!”
The rustle of fabric rippled through the crowd like a wave.
“Thank you for traveling far from every corner of the Empire. All of you gathered here have played a role in bringing Gaiard to where it stands today. I shall never forget your contributions!”
The Emperor’s gaze swept across the assembly.
“Let the music begin!”
Before the words had fully left his lips, the Imperial Palace Orchestra launched into a new piece. The tempo was far more spirited than before, and the atmosphere sprang instantly to life.
The first dance was not for just anyone. Those of highest rank enjoyed the privilege of being the first to grace the polished floor.
I felt the weight of eyes upon me.
“Do you think the Grand Duchess will dance?”
“The Grand Duke hasn’t arrived.”
“Who’s that man beside her?”
“The commander of the Gonet Knights. Look at the crest on his chest.”
“Perhaps I should go ask her to dance myself.”
That was when it happened.
The whispered murmurs died away at once.
“Grand Duchess of Gonet.”
I looked up to see the Emperor standing before me, my expression shifting to one of surprise.
“Your Majesty.”
As I hastened to greet him, the Emperor smiled and spoke.
“Grand Duchess of Gonet, would you honor me with a dance?”
I blinked, then returned his smile.
“It would be my privilege.”
As I stepped onto the floor, the first notes of a waltz rose for the Emperor alone. It began slowly, gradually quickening its pace.
With each step, the shadow of organza beneath the hem of my skirt swept forward and back.
Each time my dress swelled, the subtle scent of roses drifted past my nose.
No one else dared to step onto the floor. Whispered remarks drifted between fans like ripples, circling the hall once before dissolving.
“Grand Duchess of Gonet.”
The Emperor asked as we danced.
“Tell me—has the Sun Spirit not manifested? Has it shown no sign of its dragon form?”
It has.
But it looks like a puppy.
I answered silently, offering him a soft smile and a gentle shake of my head.
“I wish it would appear. I’m curious too, after all.”
“As am I. Whether I shall live to witness such a precious sight……”
The Emperor seemed genuinely wistful.
“I am a fortunate sovereign indeed. Your husband is the finest of knights, and you—you are the one who brought the Sun Spirit out of Pasa for us.”
“It is my honor, Your Majesty.”
“Ha! You make it awkward when you speak so formally!”
Living with Ratku had taught me something.
Ratku disliked drawing attention to his own existence.
“Ratku~ Ratku~ Ratku~”
Yet here and now, spinning in circles atop my head in time with the music, he was unbearably cute.
Clap, clap, clap!
As the music ended, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall.
The Emperor, being of a station that forbade him to bow to his subjects, merely placed one hand lightly over his heart and lowered it. I, instead, bowed deeply.
“It was my great honor.”
The Emperor laughed warmly, his face round and genial as a steamed bun.
“I was thoroughly delighted as well!”
As the second piece began, I returned to Gabin’s side.
“Go dance if you wish, Gabin.”
“I’m content here.”
The melody that followed was crisp and lively. I fanned myself gently, letting my body sway slightly to its rhythm. But even as I did, every sense was trained on one woman seated upon the dais.
‘Is the Empress Dowager staring at me, or am I imagining things?’
That distance—neither quite meeting nor quite apart—created an uncanny pressure.
‘Could it be… she thinks I’ve stolen Briget from her?’
I felt like a gazelle desperately avoiding a leopard’s gaze.
I sat motionless and serene, as though I hadn’t noticed the Empress Dowager’s murderous stare at all. My racing heart betrayed the exact opposite.
It was then that the orchestra’s melody stumbled.
A stir arose near the door.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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