I’m Going to Change My Husband With a Predatory Marriage - Chapter 53

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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 53

The Imperial Palace held a grand banquet once a month with all direct members of the Imperial Family in attendance.
Currently, the direct Imperial Family consisted only of the Emperor and Prince Arpard, along with their respective spouses.
‘So this creates the perfect situation for a four-way meeting between the Emperor, Empress, myself, and Arpard.’
When I heard this news, Arpard asked me a question.

“Will you attend?”
“Of course. If I don’t show up, it would look like I’m backing down.”

Arpard chuckled and spoke.

“There are still many of Mother’s belongings left. When the current Empress moved into the Empress Palace, my grandmother threw such a fit that she had all of Mother’s personal items removed from there.”

I had heard about this before as well.

“Just hearing about it sounds incredibly brutal.”
“In reality, quite a few members of High Society were either driven out or buried during that time.”
“And when the Grand Duchess went into seclusion, that’s when High Society split into factions, wasn’t it?”

In that sense, my appearance at the grand banquet adorned with the Former Empress’s belongings could be a very effective strategy.
‘It would certainly upset the Empress… ‘
Though honestly, Arpard had already scratched things up so thoroughly recently that it might not even be necessary.
But thinking about it, provocation and display toward one’s enemies were always better when more dramatic.
‘Besides, it would serve as a signal of sorts.’
Specifically, to Countess Martine of House Axion, who had desperately tried to preserve her daughter’s belongings.
Recently, I had made my ‘intentions’ clear to the Grand Duchess through Princess Solenu.
‘This could be a perfect performance to back that up.’
And the result of all this was…
‘Isn’t this a bit… excessive?’
Anyone looking at me would think I was attending a coronation ceremony instead of a banquet.
The servant waiting before the Banquet Hall was so startled upon seeing me that he froze in place.
“….”
An announcement wasn’t necessary, but at the very least, a greeting and proper courtesy were due.
Yet standing there frozen as if he’d witnessed something he shouldn’t have seemed a bit excessive, didn’t it?
I was just beginning to feel slightly irritated.
Arpard stepped forward first.
“There seems to be no reason for your eyes to be bulging out like that. Should I remove them so the wind can blow through your head and restore your senses?”
“Eek!”
…Could you perhaps be a bit more restrained?

* * *

Arpard had to admit it.
These days, there was one thing that brought him considerable pleasure and joy.
It was adorning the wife he had recently abducted.
‘She certainly has the beauty for it.’
In any case, aesthetic sense remained the same whether one carried dragon blood or not.
Making a beautiful woman even more beautiful was purely enjoyable.
Using his mother’s heirlooms as a pretext for a performance, he dressed Hillia as he pleased.
Being able to confidently take her hand and escort her in her resplendent attire was deeply satisfying.
‘That knight following behind to guard her, or Ludwig crawling on all fours at the Grand Duke’s Residence—neither could ever do this.’
Only he could do such a thing.
That fact was, strangely enough, deeply gratifying.
Thus, Arpard came from the Prince’s Palace to the Palace for the grand banquet, proudly holding her hand.
This journey itself had become part of his recently acquired hobby.
‘Since I adorned her with my own aesthetic sense, I should show her off.’
Though he would never admit it himself, Arpard was thoroughly indulging in shameless behavior.
But something at the banquet hall entrance irritated him.
The servants waiting before the banquet hall entrance lost their composure entirely upon seeing Hillia enter on Arpard’s arm.
They all stood vacant-eyed and dreamy, forgetting their duties and staring blankly ahead.
He had seen many people lose their focus to her during their journey here.
But confronting it directly like this was a first.
He felt an intense urge so powerful he wondered if it was a precursor to madness.
‘Should I really gouge them out?’
He despised seeing those vacant, enraptured eyes fixed upon Hillia.
Since he was not mad enough to act on such thoughts, he decided to issue a warning and move on.
“Your eyes seem to have no reason to remain there. Should I extract them so the wind can blow through your skull and restore your senses?”
Fearful gasps echoed from all directions, and Hillia was horrified.
What they were thinking was obvious.
‘They must think his madness has truly manifested.’
Arpard’s prediction was accurate.
The servants trembled and apologized with utmost sincerity.
“W-we are terribly sorry, Your Highness!”
“We made a mistake…!”
“Please forgive us…!”
As Arpard stared at them, Hillia tugged him along with her slender arm.
And she whispered softly, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings.
“Stop fooling around and let’s go inside already!”
“But I’m not fooling around….”
Still, the way Hillia pulled me along with her feeble strength felt rather pleasant.
Even her delicate whisper, like the gentle beat of tiny wings.
So I allowed myself to be led away without resistance.
The moment the door closed behind me, I could have sworn I heard the servants exhale in relief—and I’m certain it wasn’t my imagination.
When we entered the banquet hall, both Hillia and I were somewhat taken aback.
Someone was already seated inside.
A middle-aged woman with black hair, dressed in an ornate and heavy gown of deep purple, sat there.
Her inscrutable black eyes were striking.
She tilted her head slightly to the left and spoke in a husky voice.
“You’re late, Arpard.”
‘The Empress arrived first?’
In such formal banquets, it was customary for those of lower rank to arrive first and wait.
Naturally, the Prince and his consort should arrive before the Emperor and Empress.
It was surprising enough that the Empress had arrived first, but her words carried a sharp edge.
‘She comes early on purpose, then accuses us of being late?’
It was an absurd complaint.
The Empress approached slowly and extended her hand before Arpard.
Our eyes met.
We immediately understood what the Empress was demanding.
‘She’s asking him to escort her as if it were the most natural thing?’
In the absence of the Emperor, it was customary for a son to escort his mother.
‘But not when his wife is present!’
And she had deliberately entered first, now forcing an escort upon him.
A bitter displeasure welled up inside me.
With this single act, she had completely disregarded me.
‘She’s not just refusing to acknowledge me as the Crown Princess—she’s treating me as if I don’t exist at all!’
This was both a mockery of my not yet being formally recognized as Crown Princess and an insult layered upon it.
At the same time….
The Empress waved her hand gently and smiled softly.
“Your hand must be hurting?”
This was also retaliation for what Arpard had done days ago at the Empress’s party at my request, drawing her attention.
In the absence of the Emperor, it was common sense for the Crown Prince to escort the Empress.
To refuse was unthinkable in terms of propriety.
Even in a family banquet, if it were an Imperial Family state dinner, this was official business.
Naturally, everything that happened here would become the subject of gossip.
The Empress was now forcing Arpard’s hand.
‘To abandon me and escort her instead.’
Once that happens, rumors will naturally spread in all directions.
Multiplied and embellished several times over, at that.
‘They’ll probably distort it—claim that Arpard cast me aside in public—and spread the gossip far and wide.’
The Empress and Evangeline’s inner circle would gleefully disseminate it, making sure everyone heard.
‘I’ll become a laughingstock.’
Yet having Arpard disrespect the Empress carried its own burden.
‘Ignoring Imperial protocol would create problems of its own.’
The Empress’s false choice—whichever path I took—was equally infuriating.
‘In the Imperial Palace, even eating a single meal becomes a spectacle!’
And needless to say, I had no intention of waiting for Arpard to make a decision.
‘I forge my own path!’
The hand the Empress extended was an attack on Arpard, yes, but her true target was me—someone whose position remained precarious.
If struck first, one must strike back—it’s only natural!
I released Arpard’s hand with a radiant smile.
!
I watched as Arpard’s crimson eyes widened in surprise.
I gave him a playful wink, then stepped forward with a cheerful laugh.

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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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