The Villainess is on a Quest - Chapter 56

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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 56
The scale of this banquet was exceptional even by post-war standards.
Since so much capital had been poured into the war effort, the court had been forced to curtail its more lavish expenditures, but the assembled guests could hardly fail to notice the grandeur on display.
“It seems the true master of the Imperial Palace truly welcomes this guest.”
“Indeed, this is almost—befitting a victory banquet for the Emperor or the Crown Prince himself.”
In truth, the scale was achievable partly because the banquet date had been postponed several times.
Each postponement had only made the Imperial Palace staff more meticulous and thorough in their preparations.
Yet the guests’ attention was not confined to the splendor of the hall alone.
“My goodness, isn’t that the Duchess Siodor?”
“But didn’t she say she would no longer attend High Society gatherings?”
“Look for yourself. She’s really here.”
“And there’s the Marquess Ista as well.”
“Extraordinary.”
High Society boasted many Notables, yet it was unusual for all of them to attend even an Imperial function.
But in this hall were gathered every Notable that High Society knew.
The assembled nobility were bewildered as to how such a gathering had been assembled in a single place.
This unprecedented situation was more than enough to stir vague anticipation.
“Hmph, just some woman from the Orion Kingdom—less than an insect.”
“It seems our Crown Prince has peculiar tastes. How he can take a woman from the Orion Kingdom into his embrace, I cannot fathom—I myself would feel nauseated enough to retch.”
Yet there were always those willing to voice such contempt.
They were the Letarians, led by Alex. With expressions of disgust, as though imagining something repugnant, they sipped the Champagne in their hands.
“My lord, mind your words. Would you dare insult the Imperial Family?”
A brave soul approached them, face flushed as though personally wounded, and offered a stern warning.
To revile the Imperial Family was a grave matter for which an entire house could be extinguished.
Yet Alex merely scoffed.
“Is insult not the same as fact? Everyone knows how base and tainted the blood of the Orion Kingdom is.”
“The Marquess Alex Rodman!”
Instead, they turned their sharp gaze upon the one who had warned them, jeering mockingly.
“Do you not see the blood we spilled because of Orion? The losses we sustained? The futures we lost?”
Always the same refrain. The watching nobility felt suffocated by it.
Perhaps in the war’s early days they had sympathized with such logic.
For nobility, honor was as precious as life itself. But as the war dragged on, how hollow and fleeting such things had become.
Many were exhausted by this senseless slaughter. More now wished to lay down their burden and end it all.
Yet they would not yield.
“Do be civil. This is the birth of an Imperial Grandchild most precious.”
Suddenly, a voice from somewhere cut through the assembly, and all eyes turned toward its source.
It was the Duchess Siodor, appearing in High Society for the first time in years.
Taken aback by her unexpected intervention, even Alex fell silent.
“Regardless of your acceptance or denial, I trust you will remember that we have a duty to respect His Majesty’s will. Marquess Alex Rodman.”
Alex frowned, visibly displeased by her response.
“Perhaps you should speak more carefully. As of now, His Majesty has but one Imperial Grandchild—Sonelopi alone.”
An heir of pure Verona Imperial blood, untainted by even a single drop of base Orion taint.
The Imperial Grandchild whom the Letarians championed and supported.
Meanwhile, the Duchess Siodor sighed wearily and turned away from the gathering.
Left standing, Alex pondered: of all these assembled Notables, how many would truly support the new Imperial Princess Consort?
“The Crown Prince and his consort have arrived!”
All eyes turned toward the entrance of the Banquet Hall.
* * *
“They’re calling us the Crown Prince and his consort now?”
“There is no other suitable form of address, so if you take offense, I trust you will set it aside.”
“I’m not angry. Merely taken aback, that’s all.”
A title was profoundly important. It determined one’s standing and the reason for one’s presence.
They were not even betrothed, let alone married. Yet the public believed she had borne his child.
It seemed no coincidence that he would address her as Imperial Princess Consort in a setting where one might consider them intimate partners.
‘The Emperor must have instructed him to use such a title.’
To cement her position before all as Imperial Princess Consort.
Yet Aine felt neither displeasure nor irritation. She understood that Odin’s actions here gave her wings, at least in this moment.
“I wonder how Wilhelm is faring now.”
Normally they would have entered together, but Odin had wished to present him publicly and had taken him elsewhere first.
He had assured her it was not necessary if she found it burdensome, yet Wilhelm, delighted, had followed him cheerfully.
So with just the two of them, Aine whispered her worries to Kleid.
“It should be fine. Roten went with him, and they’ve strengthened security throughout the Imperial Palace since that incident.”
The Imperial Guard she’d seen on the way here alone was enough to make sense of those words.
Especially on a day like today, they’d locked down security with absolute rigidity to prevent anything from going wrong.
‘Please, let nothing happen to Wilhelm.’
Though she’d witnessed it with her own eyes and ought to feel reassured, worry seized her instead.
“Hmm, compared to the rumors I’ve heard, she doesn’t seem all that special.”
“You’re right. Her dress is beautiful, but that’s all. She’s really quite ordinary.”
But as Aine stepped into the Banquet Hall, one thing occurred to her.
That she was hardly the one who ought to be worrying.
“How long has it been since someone from Orion set foot here?”
Particularly Reina, the second Imperial Princess Consort, was glaring at Aine with unmistakable hostility.
* * *
Wilhelm, clutching Roten’s hand with his small one as he followed him, was busy observing his surroundings.
Like the royal palace, every corner of this place looked identical. One wrong turn and he feared he’d be trapped in an inescapable labyrinth.
It was nothing like those days when he’d personally explored the royal palace on foot, mapping it out as he went. Wilhelm hated being lost in a maze.
“You needn’t be so tense. His Imperial Majesty is quite fond of you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. His Majesty is eager to see you as soon as possible.”
Noticing Wilhelm’s shoulders had stiffened, Roten whispered to him, wanting to ease his nerves.
Whether those words brought comfort, Wilhelm genuinely felt his anxiety fade somewhat.
It would have been better if Aine were beside him, but he decided not to ask for too much.
Great desire, after all, always brings disaster.
Just as Roten reached Odin’s Office and raised his hand to knock, a raised voice came through the door.
“He seems quite angry.”
“Ah, please wait here a moment. His Majesty is currently in an important meeting with a guest.”
“Really?”
Roten’s expression hardened, and though he rolled his eyes, he sighed inwardly. There was always someone who ruined things, even on good days, and this was one of those times.
“There’s nothing to worry about. There shouldn’t be any real problem.”
Realizing Philip was inside, he asked Wilhelm in a gentle voice to sit in the Waiting Room for now.
He added that he’d call him as soon as the guest left. Innocent of the situation, Wilhelm followed his instructions to the Waiting Room.
‘Wow, so many sweets.’
The first thing Wilhelm’s eyes landed on upon entering the Waiting Room was the pastries arranged on the table.
Aine, always concerned about cavities, rarely allowed Wilhelm many sweets.
They were given to him more generously only when he was being particularly charming, and even that never felt like quite enough.
“Before Mother finds out, I could sneak….”
“Um, excuse me.”
Only after he’d reached out his hand, wondering whether to take a few more in secret, did he realize.
“Who are you?”
That there was someone else in this room besides him.

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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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