Queen of Revenge - Chapter 11

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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 11
* * *
After the Foundation Day Festival banquet concluded, we took a brief respite before the next event—the ball.
Traditionally, the King would open the ball with the first dance, but he departed early.
The moment Iolet caught sight of the King’s retreating figure, she swiftly slipped among the ambassadors.
‘I’ve come this far. I can’t be dragged away now.’
There was someone I absolutely had to meet tonight.
Fortunately, those who had been stealing glances at me all evening finally approached.
“It has been far too long, Princess Iolet. I am Ernest Luteil, from the Alpail Kingdom.”
Alpail was a minor kingdom bound to Levia Kingdom through matrimonial ties.
Iolet turned naturally, her lips curving into a practiced smile.
“The Prime Minister of Alpail, I presume. I remember meeting you long ago with my mother. I trust you have been well?”
“My goodness, you remember? I thought you were far too young to recall such a distant meeting.”
“How could I forget? I still vividly recall you and my mother conversing so intimately.”
Of course, it was a lie. Twelve years had passed—there was no way I could remember.
I had memorized the delegation roster that Lucian provided last night. My reasoning was simple: whoever approached me first would likely be connected to my mother. My gamble had paid off.
“Forgive my impertinence, but I was consumed with curiosity. The dye of your gown—could it be what I think it is? It appears to use indigo so deeply, and the way the color shifts resembles opal so perfectly… In truth, such a mystical hue is rarely employed outside The South.”
Though he spoke obliquely, the ambassador clearly recognized what this color was.
I had anticipated someone would notice.
Tyrian Blue—a shade that gleamed ever more brilliantly under light—had been Charlotte’s most beloved color in life. More precisely, it was a color used exclusively by the royal family of Levia.
“Though this is Elovis’s celebration, my fiancé lies ill. I sought a compromise and arrived in this attire.”
“The Crown Princess appeared rather displeased by the sight…”
“Surely not. I believe she mistook it for mourning attire. This is the ceremonial color used in Levia’s state rituals. My sister, who adores me dearly, could never disapprove.”
The ambassador, who had been studying me intently as if to discern my true intentions, responded with a warm smile.
“Indeed. His Majesty, the King of Levia, would surely wish to see how beautifully his princess has grown. I regret that he cannot witness this moment himself.”
Those with experience serving as ambassadors to Levia Kingdom watched our exchange with keen interest.
A princess of Levia’s royal blood had appeared draped entirely in Levia’s precious symbolic color. This single fact led to only one possible conclusion.
‘Elovis may slight the princess, but the royal family of Levia—Charlotte’s own blood—has not yet abandoned her.’
After all, there were no ambassadors from Levia present to obscure the truth.
Instead, through the mouth of Alpail’s ambassador, word of me would reach the Levia royal court.
‘I do not yet know what stance my mother’s homeland will take toward me. But should they show me favor, Levia becomes a powerful ally through my maternal line. It costs nothing to plant seeds now.’
As I exchanged brief pleasantries with the ambassadors who showed interest in me, I surveyed the banquet hall.
The person I sought had not yet entered my field of vision.
While I searched, those who paid little attention to my gown turned their focus elsewhere.
Lucian Perein had quietly appeared in the hall at some point. Having been summoned by royal command and now returned, his complexion appeared somewhat haggard.
Count Monfer, an elder of the Elovis Royal Council, whispered to the man beside him.
“Is that not the Marquis Perein’s second son? So it was true that he was assigned to guard Princess Iolet?”
“It was by royal command, or so I heard. Regardless, it is only a temporary assignment.”
The Marquis Perein, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, made his displeasure abundantly clear.
The Marquis had been among Crown Princess Catherine’s closest confidants. Yet his statement produced the opposite effect.
“Did His Majesty personally designate Lucian? I thought he had little interest in Princess Iolet, but it seems I was mistaken. To assign such talent to her….”
“How dare you presume to fathom His Majesty’s deeper intentions? Mind your tongue.”
“Ha, why must you be so stern with me? I merely find it curious.”
Even her belated attempt to silence them could not extinguish the suspicion that had taken root in the minds of the nobility.
The nobles of Elovis exchanged subtle glances among themselves.
‘Is Princess Iolet not completely excluded from the line of succession after all?’
Until now, Elovis had revolved around Crown Princess Catherine as its axis. The major powers of state already in her hands were beyond counting.
Most decisive of all was Duke Valer’s breaking of his engagement with Princess Iolet last year and his subsequent support of the Crown Princess.
Should the Duke become the Crown Princess’s husband, she would seize legitimacy and power rivaling the King himself.
Yet even that Duke Valer could not tear his gaze from Princess Iolet.
The atmosphere was shifting in an unsettling direction.
Catherine, observing from her vantage point, clenched her fists tightly.
Was all of this mere coincidence?
No.
Catherine’s instincts sharpened to a keen edge. She wore a vacant smile, but this was unmistakably her sister’s machination.
From rendering Count Castlane comatose to deliberately recruiting the second son of Marquis Perein as her escort—every move had been orchestrated by that girl.
‘I thought her timid and spineless, yet she possesses the audacity to act directly?’
The world Catherine had painstakingly constructed for Iolet was suffocatingly narrow.
Thanks to Queen Charlotte’s tutelage, she had learned the basic etiquette and eloquence of high society, but nothing more. Occasionally she uttered clever remarks, yet she was merely a fragile girl lacking both the resolve and courage to execute them. Nothing more.
And yet.
“Can a person truly change overnight?”
Benedix, standing motionless as stone, murmured quietly, his gaze still fixed ahead.
“Unless they’ve died and been resurrected, it’s impossible.”
“…That’s true. It must be so.”
Benedix muttered beneath his breath, thick veins straining visibly beneath the skin of his clenched fist.
Catherine let out a derisive laugh.
“Even if she did change, it’s far too late now.”
Even a worm writhes when stepped upon. Yet no matter how much it writhes, it remains nothing but a contemptible worm.
Catherine turned her back sharply on Iolet.
The moment she abandoned the Princess entirely, the nobles who had been watching her lead began to drift toward Catherine.
Catherine issued a terse command to the guards stationed at the edge of the Banquet Hall.
“Remove the Princess before the first dance begins. Take her directly to the Tower, confine her, and impose a three-day restriction on her leaving the Palace. Convey the same to Lucian.”
Catherine’s social sphere was not so fragile as to be shaken by a momentary disturbance.
Observe—even now, the nobles of Elovis did not take a single step away from Iolet.
Catherine’s kingdom was unshakeable.
As it had been until now, so it would remain forever.
Catherine extended the back of her hand to Benedix at her side.
“Stop gawking and dance with me, Duke. I’m beginning to grow displeased.”
“…It would be my honor.”
Benedix took Catherine’s hand and led her toward the center of the stage. To any observer, they were a flawless pair.
From beyond the stage, I caught sight of Iolet hastily rising from her seat. The guards began to move.
Catherine let out a soft giggle, placing her hand upon Benedix’s shoulder.
The music commenced.
* * *
Iolet slipped from the Banquet Hall with quickened steps.
The moment I glimpsed Catherine issuing orders to the guards from a distance, I excused myself from those with whom I had been conversing.
‘Once Lucian arrives, there will be no escape. This moment is my only chance.’
I had yet to locate the person I needed to find.
Though I had scanned my surroundings diligently while conversing with the Ambassadors, he was nowhere to be found. It appeared he had already departed from the Banquet Hall.
Then I had no choice but to go myself.

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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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