Chapter 20

20. Possessiveness

* * *

Champagne waterfalls flowed throughout the banquet hall, exuding a rich honey scent.

An expensive waterway decorated with mother-of-pearl tiles circled the banquet hall along the walls, designed at a height where guests could stand and dip their glasses to drink.

Above the waterway, vines laden with ripe grapes added a touch of natural beauty, and below the waterfalls, luscious apples and peaches floated, providing a visual delight.

But that wasn't all.

Everywhere except the dance floor, fruit sculptures were erected, and nearby stood round, pristine white tables for guests to lean on.

Moreover, about ten more chandeliers were installed and fully lit, making the banquet hall incredibly dazzling and bright.

Truly, a paradise on earth.

The nobles attending the banquet were speechless at the sight of the hall, which seemed to scream of immense wealth.

"Was the Empress's ability to host banquets this impressive?"

"Wow. There was no need to worry about whether she could do it well."

"After all, her background is different."

The noblewomen were already overwhelmed by the light emanating from the crystal chandeliers.

The Empress's banquet had a splendor that was nowhere to be found in the Saintess's banquets.

And this wasn't just about piling up expensive things.

The power of the best artists, architects, and skilled Empress Palace maids combined with capital transformed the entire space into a work of art.

Besides, the fact that everything was edible was amusing to Nix's nobles.

"This is... extravagance."

"Indeed. We won't even be able to eat all that food. It's such a waste."

There were certainly those who tried to belittle the Empress in this way, but their voices were small.

After all, there was no such thing as a banquet without waste.

After the banquet, the leftover food was first taken home by the servants, and what remained was given to the slums.

So, even if it cost more, it was better than decorating with flowers that couldn't be eaten.

"Look over there. The Saintess can't say a word. She's gone completely pale."

"Oh my, has she realized it now? That the difference in background is unavoidable."

Some noblewomen fanned themselves widely, gossiping with a sense of schadenfreude.

Those with a strong sense of pride as nobles loathed the current situation where the Saintess from Quid was receiving so much favor. With the Empress stepping forward like this, they naturally wanted to side with her.

"She's looking this way."

"She must have heard us, but what can she do about it?"

And Helene was listening to all those slanders, engraving them in her heart.

She was overwhelmed, but like the nameless noblewoman said, she couldn't say anything.

'I... I can't spend this much money on a banquet.'

It was infuriating.

Helene realized it the moment she stepped into the banquet hall.

This was beyond comparison to the banquets she had hosted.

'But is that my fault? If I had a lot of money, I could have done this too. If I had a family like Duke Ahillo, I could have done better than the Empress!'

Tears welled up in Helene's eyes, feeling wronged by her situation, and she tried not to cry. But she couldn't help feeling miserable.

Today, Helene had not entered with the Emperor.

The Empress, who had organized the banquet, had taken even that away.

What made Helene feel even more dejected was that Enrique had approved of it.

'Still, I could have entered with him. Why did he tell me to go ahead and make me listen to these words?'

Until yesterday, Helene had thought, 'No matter what the Empress prepares, how well could she do?'

She had never hosted a banquet before, so suddenly having to prepare a large-scale banquet would lead to mistakes. Maybe she wouldn't even be able to decorate the banquet hall properly.

She had fallen asleep comfortably thinking that, but lo and behold.

The situation that unfolded was completely different from what she had expected.

"Guests from the Desert Kingdom are entering!"

Before she could even recover her mood, she heard the announcement of the arrival of the honored guests.

Heathens who believe in false gods. Savages living naked in the desert.

Helene thought of the people of the Desert Empire in that way.

She felt a little better thinking they were even worse than Quid.

"Huh...?"

But the next moment.

Helene's mouth slightly opened.

She was greatly shocked.

The Desert Kingdom delegation that appeared as the doors opened... was incredibly magnificent.

Every single one of them, men and women alike, was tall like a knight and had excellent figures.

Their posture, with their chests held high, was upright, and their gazes, looking down, were filled with arrogance.

Their white formal attire, with delicate embroidery in gold thread, seemed to be their traditional clothing, and it was so stylish that her preconceived notions of them being uncivilized were completely shattered.

Among the Desert Kingdom delegation, there was one who stood out in particular.

'Wow.'

Helene couldn't take her eyes off the boy who entered at the very front.

His face still had a hint of youth, so he couldn't be called a fully grown male, but he was so captivating.

'He has a completely different charm from Enrique.'

Enrique is solid, composed, and already a complete man.

But the boy seemed somewhat unstable, and as such, he seemed to have explosive power and was full of vitality.

Helene unconsciously swallowed hard as she looked at the boy.

Possessiveness suddenly reared its head.

* * *

Today's welcoming banquet did not have separate chairs prepared for the Emperor and Empress. This was because they were meeting an Emperor from a country with equal national status.

I didn't want to create a situation where there could be quibbling over the placement of the chairs.

In the same vein, to prevent unnecessary power struggles, Enrique and I, along with the Desert Kingdom's imperial couple, agreed to enter the banquet hall simultaneously.

"May the great rulers of both empires enter!"

I had told the servants in charge of the gate the phrases to introduce the imperial couples in advance.

In diplomatic settings, a single word can become a problem.

Even the order in which people are called and introduced can lead to disputes.

'But if we lump them together like this, we can avoid unnecessary quarrels.'

I was genuinely curious about what confidence Helene had to take on such an important banquet.

She didn't seem to be meticulous enough to pay attention to every little detail like this.

"Excellent! Is this a recreation of the land of warriors from our mythology?"

The Emperor of the Desert Kingdom, Kalik, was a pleasant person on the surface.

He had long, jet-black hair, a square jaw, and sharp eyes. Judging by the gold accessories he wore, he seemed to enjoy adorning himself.

His personality was quite sociable; he didn't hold back on praise and didn't hide his surprise.

But I hadn't forgotten that he had infiltrated his younger sibling into this country.

'Such a petty guy, pretending not to be.'

A sneer escaped me, but I skillfully hid my expression and replied.

"Thank you for recognizing it."

"To be welcomed so grandly, honestly, it's touching. I thought you'd try to show off in your own way."

"Isn't it about welcoming guests? It's only right to decorate in a way that pleases the guests."

"I agree with that! Then, do you have warriors' liquor as well?"

"Of course. What's flowing in that river is all champagne made with honey. Feel free to quench your thirst."

While I was talking with Kalik, Enrique remained silent.

To be precise, he seemed somewhat shocked by the scenery inside the banquet hall and couldn't find the words to speak.

'Hmph.'

I scoffed and took the glass that a servant brought and held it to the waterfall. Soon, golden liquor filled the transparent glass.

"Hahaha! Very witty. Very witty!"

"How amusing, dear."

Kalik laughed heartily and raised his glass, following my lead. Then, the other guests from the Desert Kingdom also eagerly raised their glasses or picked grapes to eat.

It was the nobles of Nix who were being passive.

"The taste is amazing. According to our mythology, even if a warrior dies in this world, they will live eternally in paradise. In that paradise, there is liquor with the scent of honey flowing and fruits as plentiful as they are underfoot. Just like this place."

"I heard that Nix believes in a monotheistic god, but to respect our mythology and decorate the banquet hall like this is a gracious gesture."

As the imperial couple from the desert expressed their satisfaction, the nobles of Nix began to murmur.

"Was the Empress this knowledgeable?"

"To have mastered the mythology of another country and prepared the banquet is astonishing."

"But if it's a recreation of something from another country's mythology, it's something the Saintess could never have done."

"To be precise, it's something the Saintess can't do. The mythologies of the two countries are very different."

"And the clergy doesn't recognize the gods of other countries. If the Saintess had been in charge of the banquet, there might have been diplomatic problems. I hadn't thought about how the mythology of another country could clash with the mythology of this country... Could the Empress have foreseen even that?"

Ah, how delightful.

I listened to the whispers of the nobles and smiled sweetly.

There was no need for me to step forward and gild my own face.

Others would do it for me.

'By the way, when are you planning to reveal your intentions? I hope you say it while my stamina can still hold out.'

Considering various factors, I could only endure about four hours in this banquet hall.

Since there was no place to sit, anything longer would be too much.

Still, since the banquet was held late, it would be midnight after four hours.

The guests would be tired by then and go to sleep, and even if I left the banquet hall, Helene wouldn't be able to do anything.

'What revelation did the Desert Kingdom receive that brought you all the way here? Tell me quickly.'

Thinking that, I slowly turned my head.

At the end of my gaze was Helene.

Helene, who was clearly dejected, was not smiling. She wasn't even wearing that obnoxious, unique expression of hers.

'But who is she looking at like that... Ah.'

That child.

Helene was looking at not Enrique, but... that child.

"She seems to like him."

It was then.