They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 74

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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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The Crown Prince, who had wanted to accompany me, had been summoned by the Emperor and departed first, so a steward from the Imperial Palace came directly to fetch me from the Crown Prince’s Palace.
I followed the steward who was guiding me.
The corridor leading deep into the Imperial Palace was suffocatingly quiet.
With each step forward, the air itself seemed to change.
It wasn’t merely because of the ornate decorations lining the walls or the atmosphere that demanded silence.
Something viscous and trap-like permeated the entire Imperial Palace.
‘There’s definitely something unusual about this place.’
I surveyed my surroundings slowly, concealing my unease.
Where could something be hidden, and what could it be?
While I kept the Emperor and his knights occupied, Elhart would need to search diligently for the magical circles.
When I arrived at the entrance of the Banquet Hall, situated quite deep within the Imperial Palace, the steward bowed quietly.
“Please enter. His Majesty awaits you.”
The word “awaits” irritated me.
It meant he had deliberately summoned me late.
‘It’s a commonly used tactic, after all.’
If one arrives late after the atmosphere has already been established, they would shrink back from the pressure from the very start.
Well, it had nothing to do with me.
Soon the door opened, and I stepped inside.
All eyes fell upon me at once.
In the spacious Banquet Hall, only four people were seated.
The Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess.
I moved forward under their gazes—curious, evaluative, and wary.
When I reached the far end of the long table, a gaze pierced me from directly ahead.
The Emperor.
He regarded me without speaking.
Slowly, and persistently.
From top to bottom.
His gaze lingered particularly long on my exposed shoulders and neck, and I felt a chill threaten to run down my spine.
As if appraising a price, the Emperor’s lips curved upward as he examined me.
“Is this the child?”
At the Emperor’s single remark, the air in the Banquet Hall shifted subtly.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”
I offered a bow that was neither excessive nor lacking.
Then I followed the steward’s guidance to my seat.
“This way, please.”
It was the seat beside the Empress.
I quietly bowed to the Empress as well before taking my seat.
When I looked up, my eyes met those of the Crown Prince, who sat with a rigid expression.
He smoothly curved his lips upward, but he didn’t appear to be in good spirits.
“It’s somewhat different from what I imagined.”
The Emperor spoke, and the Crown Prince responded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Right, I thought you’d lost your senses and were being swayed by some seductress, but it seems I was mistaken.”
This was hardly the sort of thing one should say in front of the person in question.
Then again, as the Emperor of Cradian, the hegemon of the continent, what caution would he exercise?
He likely believed he could say whatever pleased him.
‘Power he didn’t earn through his own abilities, yet he speaks so freely.’
I let out a silent scoff and maintained my smile, pretending not to hear the Emperor’s words.
“…Ser Brin is a woman of greater nobility than anyone. Please choose your words more carefully.”
The Crown Prince made no effort to hide his displeasure.
“Brother, really now. With Mother and me present, you speak such things? About a mere maid from a minor nation.”
At the Crown Princess’s words, the Crown Prince merely scoffed.
The Empress, who had been quietly observing the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, finally spoke.
“It’s been so long since the family gathered together. Let’s not say unnecessary things and simply enjoy our meal.”
“Indeed, the Empress speaks wisely.”
As the Emperor raised his hand with a smile, the waiting stewards began bringing out the food.
‘Wow, what is this?’
Every dish placed on the plate was as delicate as a work of art.
I picked up my fork and quietly brought the food to my lips.
“…!”
It was extraordinarily delicious.
The aroma was not overwhelming, and the composition of the dish was harmonious.
One could sense without explanation that each ingredient was of the highest quality.
‘It’s truly different.’
Without a single unnecessary element, it was nothing short of perfect.
The wine was no exception.
The moment it touched my palate, its aroma spread softly, and the finish was clean and crisp.
‘So this is the Emperor’s table.’
While inwardly marveling, I continued my meal at a leisurely pace with an unbothered expression.
Meanwhile, conversation flowed at the head of the table.
“There was quite a commotion in the conference hall today, I hear.”
“Well, that’s always the case. Nothing of great concern.”
Mostly the Emperor asked questions, and the others answered.
“The Crown Princess was injured, yet she seems to be in good health.”
“Thanks to your grace.”
All of it was purely formal.
Light, unremarkable, conversation that flowed without requiring any emotional expenditure.
Within it, I was completely excluded.
That was actually more comfortable.
There was no need to interject unnecessarily, and no reason to draw unwanted attention.
‘Let me eat first.’
The food before me was far too delicious to pick at while worrying about the situation.
Once trouble erupted, there was a strong chance I wouldn’t be able to eat, so I had to focus on finishing everything while I had the opportunity.
‘Elegantly, controlling my pace, yet leaving nothing behind.’
In the early days of Bardia’s founding, when Mikhail and I spent our days frantically busy under countless gazes and attention with barely time to eat, this was a technique we had learned out of desperation.
The stewards who brought the food collected my plate with evident surprise at how cleanly it had been emptied.
The meal was gradually drawing to a close.
The Empress, who had been halfheartedly eating a refreshing and sweet fruit sorbet, set down her utensils.
“May I be excused?”
The Emperor lifted his gaze.
“Already?”
“I’m feeling a bit tired.”
The Emperor seemed to study the Empress’s face for a moment before nodding.
“You may go.”
The Empress rose from her seat.
And she looked at me once.
It was only for a moment.
Yet there was weight behind that gaze.
She hadn’t spoken, but it was the eyes of someone who knew something.
“….”
I showed no reaction, simply meeting her eyes in silence.
Soon the Empress passed by me.
The doors to the Banquet Hall, which had remained open until then, closed with her departure.
In that moment, I felt the air shift as if by illusion.
The gentle atmosphere from moments before vanished as if it had been a lie.
Those who had been waiting by the walls also departed as if on cue, leaving only the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and me in the Banquet Hall.
In the silence, I set down my fork.
And I slowly lifted my head.
The Emperor was looking at me.
His eyes were completely different from before.
“A seat has been vacated.”
He glanced at the seat where the Empress had been sitting as he spoke.
And immediately he gave me an order.
“Come sit over here.”
At the Emperor’s command, I rose from my seat without hesitation.
Then I moved slowly.
To the seat directly beside the Emperor, where the Empress had been sitting moments before.
It was also directly across from the Crown Prince.
As I settled into that seat, the Emperor murmured softly.
“Now I can see properly.”
Perhaps the Empress had forced me to maintain some semblance of decorum earlier.
This time, the Emperor made no attempt to conceal his gaze, scrutinizing me with deliberate slowness.
My face and neck.
My shoulders.
My chest and waist.
Then his eyes rose again, lingering at a single point.
I did not look away, meeting the Emperor’s gaze directly.
The corner of the Emperor’s mouth curved upward.
“What is your name?”
“Ser Brin, Your Majesty.”
“Brin, then. Tell me of your House.”
“House of Brin holds modest lands in Eastern Bardia. We are hardly a family worthy of Your Majesty’s attention.”
That was the extent of what I knew about House of Brin.
In truth, I had no idea whether the lands were vast or small, but surely my vague answer would suffice.
“Ah, now I understand. There was indeed reason for that fool to become so utterly infatuated.”
Following the Emperor’s shifting gaze, I turned to see the Crown Prince’s face frozen in cold displeasure.
Though he did not speak, his eyes conveyed a clear message.
It was an unmistakable warning.
Do not dare covet what belongs to him.
The Emperor’s eyes returned to me.
“How amusing.”
The Emperor’s eyes curved in a graceful arc, yet they held no warmth whatsoever.
‘Indeed, it is rather amusing.’
Neither the Crown Prince nor the Emperor could possess me, though both harbored desire for me.
They were hardly in a position to do so.
And yet they engaged in this petty contest with one another—it was almost laughable.
‘This could serve as an adequate distraction.’
I had been uncertain how to fill the considerable time still remaining.

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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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