Translator: Nox

Chapter 3

It seemed her siblings had not yet arrived. Gareth, the Crown Prince and her half-brother, was usually seen standing like a monarch in the center of the ballroom or at the place of honor on the second floor, looking down over the hall.

And Aila always remained by his side, looking every bit the picture of grace and elegance.

‘But perhaps we won’t be seeing Aila Roem Guirta tonight.’

She picked up a silver goblet from a small round table and let out a soft giggle.

Cruel satisfaction bloomed in her chest as she recalled Aila collapsing in the middle of the ballroom recently, her face pale with terror. Watching her vomit wine onto the marble floor, it had looked as if she were spilling her very heart out.

She wished she really could have made it so.

Talia scratched the surface of the goblet with her sharply filed fingernails, creating a harsh skreech.

She couldn’t count how many times she had prayed inwardly while watching her half-sister convulsing on the floor.

Just die, Aila. Please, never open your eyes again.

“Princess.”

Lost in her dark ruminations, Talia turned her head at the sound of a voice close by.

A man dressed impeccably in a dark green formal suit stood straight, one hand placed over his chest. His face was familiar.

After a moment, she remembered him as someone who frequently appeared at the galas hosted by her mother.

She couldn’t recall his name. She only vaguely remembered her mother calling him Count Serian.

“It has been a long time. You grow more beautiful with each passing day, Princess.”

The man looked down at her with admiration and bowed to kiss the back of her hand. A wave of revulsion washed over her, as if a slimy caterpillar had touched her skin. However, Talia forced a smile.

“Did my mother ask you to keep me company?”

“The Empress is always concerned for you, Princess.”

The man gave a roundabout affirmation.

“But even if it weren’t for Her Majesty’s request, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from speaking to you. Just look around.”

He whispered into her ear as if sharing a grand secret.

“Every man here is looking at you. Like me, they want to approach you, kiss this beautiful hand, and shower you with passionate praise—but they are desperately swallowing that desire. They wouldn’t want to get on the Crown Prince’s bad side, after all.”

“And you are different?”

“I am someone who fell out of favor a long time ago.”

He gave a sly smile.

“Thanks to that, I was given the task of attending to you tonight, so I suppose it’s a blessing in disguise.”

Talia did not like men who clung to her with excessive interest. No, she bordered on loathing them.

However, having a decent shield seemed better than enduring hundreds of stinging glares alone.

Talia accepted his escort with the air of someone granting a charity.

“What did Mother say? Did she ask you to rescue her poor eldest daughter, who was wandering about like a black sheep?”

“Her Majesty commanded me to ensure the Princess enjoys the banquet to the fullest.”

Talia suppressed the urge to scoff.

The man led her toward the stage set up in front of the balcony and added, “And she instructed me to do my utmost to ensure you stand out more than anyone else in this ballroom.”

Those dancing to the melodies of the lyre, lute, and organ moved aside awkwardly, casting sharp glares. But the Count paid them no mind and bowed to her ostentatiously.

“Would you grant me the honor of a dance, Princess?”

Talia looked down at his slender, callous-free hand with a look of distaste.

She didn’t have the slightest desire to touch a man she barely knew. However, the biting glares and whispering voices of the crowd sparked a sense of defiance in her.

Everyone probably wants me to disappear from this place. Or they want me to stay tucked away in a corner as if I don’t exist.

But I won’t give them that satisfaction.

Talia took the man’s hand. As if he had been waiting for it, he wrapped an arm around her waist and began to navigate the floor with practiced skill.

Even Talia, who hated physical contact with others, couldn’t help but admire the man’s superb dancing. Count Serian knew how to perform perfect movements to the melody and possessed a knack for making his partner shine in an exquisite way.

Talia had always enjoyed dancing, but she had never felt her own movements were quite this elegant. And it seemed she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

She scanned the room over the Count’s shoulder as he skillfully spun her. She saw hundreds of eyes moving in unison, following her movements. Everyone was unable to look away from the imperial bastard they so despised.

Talia felt a sense of triumph. Whenever she appeared in public before, people would pretend not to notice while stealing glances at her every move. But those had merely been expressions of disdain and wariness.

This time was different. They were looking at her the way they looked at her mother. She could feel gazes filled with fear and fascination tangling around her like a web.

She felt as if she had become Senevia herself. The most powerful, dangerous, and beautiful being in the world.

But the sweet taste of victory was short-lived. The music suddenly cut off, and the true protagonists of this banquet made their appearance.

“His Imperial Highness Gareth Roem Guirta, the Great Crown Prince of the Empire, and Her Imperial Highness Aila Roem Guirta, the First Princess of the Empire, are entering!”

With the chamberlain’s thunderous announcement, the two royals walked through the entrance of the ballroom with a majestic stride and descended the marble stairs. Instantly, Talia was pushed out of the crowd’s interest.

Count Serian gave a bitter smile and led her toward the terrace where the wine and food were laid out.

“It is regrettable that our pleasant time was interrupted.”

The Count prattled on as if trying to ease her stiff expression, but not a single word registered.

Talia stared intently at Aila, who was dressed in a pure white gown, her eyes burning. Aila looked as if she had completely forgotten about the disgraceful scene she had caused in front of everyone weeks ago.

Seeing that pretty face smiling gracefully beside her brother made Talia’s stomach churn with rage.

With a relentless gaze, she picked apart every detail—their dark black hair, their emerald eyes, and their faces that looked as if they had been carved from ivory.

They overflowed with the dignity and confidence befitting royalty. It was something that Senevia and she could never possess, no matter how hard they tried.

Senevia was the viper who had dragged the young Emperor—once praised as a Holy Sovereign—into the foul mire of an affair, and she was the filth that had come from that viper’s womb. Even if Senevia were to give birth to dozens of sons for the Emperor, that fact would never change.

Talia glared silently at her half-siblings, who were surrounded by the crowd’s fervent attention, then turned toward the table where the wine glasses were placed. As she did, she caught those who had been looking at the Princess and Crown Prince with envy now glancing at her and exchanging subtle looks.

Every nerve in her body stood on end. She wanted to gouge all their eyes out.

Don’t compare me to them.

While she desperately feigned indifference to suppress the urge to scream, the man beside her whispered tactlessly into her ear.

“It seems the two of them intend to ignore your presence. What will you do? Shall you go and offer your greetings first?”

She glared at the man with eyes full of venom.

The corners of his mouth quirked up as if he found it amusing.

“Isn’t that why you came here?”

Talia bit her lip.

Just as he said, she had appeared here to ruin her siblings’ mood. To create a terrible discord in the place where they were being celebrated by all. And Senevia would be wanting that as well.

Finally hardening her resolve, Talia gripped her wine glass tightly and turned toward her half-siblings. She then took a bold step forward through the crowd.

At that moment, Barkas Raedgo Siyeokan appeared at the entrance of the ballroom.

Talia stopped all movement. Her heart pounded as if she had been caught in a sudden ambush.