Episode 52
This time, the second royal banquet held for Ephelia, as Regios had mentioned, was outdoors. It had been scheduled for a night of the full moon, but clouds covered the sky, preventing any view of the moon or stars. Still, the garden where the banquet took place was brilliantly illuminated with countless lights.
The outdoor venue, decorated with crystal and glass, was designed with careful attention to the scattering of light. In the darkness, it shone like a castle glowing all on its own.
“To prepare such a magnificent banquet… one can truly feel His Highness the Crown Prince’s feelings toward the princess.”
Ephelia wondered what feelings they could possibly be referring to. She could sense nothing in Regios directed toward her personally. His emotions were faint at best, and what she did sense seemed less like affection and more like a mix of rejection and obsession over fate.
“This is the first night banquet I’ve ever seen so beautiful.”
“But the most beautiful of all is, of course, the princess herself.”
Today, Ephelia indeed looked beautiful—a masterpiece crafted by professionals with utmost care. Yet she had no say in any of these preparations, nor had Regios, she assumed.
Everything seemed driven by a single intention: to make her look as magnificent and radiant as possible, so that everyone would acknowledge that the Crown Prince cared for his fiancée and dare not disregard her.
Though it hadn’t been officially announced, everyone already knew who the future Crown Princess would be. In fact, the lack of announcement itself made the answer clear.
From the beginning until now, the role of the evening’s host had never changed. And above all, no one could fail to recognize the crown atop Ephelia’s head.
“That crown suits you very well.”
“It has finally found its rightful owner.”
Ephelia couldn’t take her eyes off the crown shining brilliantly above her. Among all the gazes fixed on it, the most intense—fiery even—was Seluna’s.
There was no way Seluna didn’t realize she was being watched, yet she stared at the crown as if unable to control herself. Her words of stepping back out of respect for the Crown Prince’s decision clearly differed from her true feelings.
Her uncle spoke. It was probably a simple greeting toward Ephelia, but upon hearing it, Seluna quickly masked her expression and approached alongside him.
“Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince. How have you been, Ephelia?”
“I’ve been well. Uncle, Aunt. Hello, Seluna.”
“Yes, you look stunning tonight.”
“The crown suits you perfectly.”
For a fleeting moment, she wanted to reach out and tear the crown from that old, snow-white head. That crown belonged to her daughter—the next Little Star of the Queen. Yet, that wretched woman had ultimately taken it.
“Thank you.”
“So the real powers of the Empire are all gathered here. May I sneak in as well?”
Duke Chesser, a longtime rival of Denold, had clearly come to irritate him on purpose.
“Of course. Welcome.”
“Thank you for the warm reception.”
“Naturally. You are Duke Chesser of Miriom, one of the pillars upholding the Empire, so of course.”
The true heir of Miriom had died. Chesser had only become duke due to his brother’s death. Still, by claiming to represent Miriom, he implied, “We’re equals, you and I.”
“Now that the next foundation of the Empire is set, it’s time to secure the foundation of the dukes as well.”
Chesser’s words were meant to irritate Denold more than to discuss prestige or legitimacy. He was saying: stop dreaming, marry off your children. Denold understood perfectly.
“Naturally, that should be done.”
“But where is the greatest pillar of the dukedom?”
This time, Denold’s expression twitched involuntarily.
“Seems the dukedom’s affairs kept him busy and delayed him.”
“To be so busy that he’s late to celebrate his sibling’s return… the future of the dukedom looks bright,” Chesser remarked, fully aware that Hexi, heir of the dukedom, was known as a half-idler. His jab hit perfectly.
“Sorry for being late, Ephelia.”
“It’s alright. The dukedom comes first.”
Even before the banquet began, Ephelia felt weary—from fussing over preparations since midday, or perhaps from enduring the flood of polite words from everyone approaching her due to the sudden change of events. It all felt overwhelming.
She wanted to remove the crown immediately, but doing so publicly would be tantamount to rejecting the position of Crown Princess—and that would endanger her parents.
Just a moment… even for a brief moment, she wanted it off.
She was already exhausted from witnessing conversations wrapped in polite words, yet hiding the daggers beneath. Her stomach churned increasingly.
“Ephelia.”
Regios was the first to notice something was wrong. Ephelia didn’t even realize he was calling her name. Suddenly, her vision spun.
“Ephelia?”
Though flustered at hearing her name, she didn’t even notice fully. Instinctively, she clutched Regios’s arm, but lacking strength, she nearly collapsed forward. Regios stretched out his arm to support her, helping her regain balance.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes… am I okay?”
“I’m sorry, I felt dizzy for a moment.”
Though her dizziness hadn’t yet subsided, she answered as if nothing were wrong.
“Sorry for worrying you. I’m fine now.”
No one would believe that voice was fine.
“We should step away for a moment.”
“Very well.”
“Of course, we should.”
“Are you feeling very unwell?” Seluna asked anxiously, though Ephelia suspected she was only pretending to be concerned while secretly scheming to steal the Crown Prince’s attention.
Regios carefully supported Ephelia, holding her cheeks to meet her eyes.
“You’ve looked unwell for a while. You should have said something if you didn’t feel good.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not. The banquet should be stopped.”
Hearing him mutter this, Ephelia lifted her head.
“I said I’m fine. We can’t ruin the banquet.”
“We can always hold another banquet.”
“This means I refuse to do it a third time.”
It wasn’t about reputation or guilt. Three separate banquets to celebrate her return alive were sheer torture. Regios let out a short sigh.
“What shall we do?”
“I’ll just rest for a moment.”
“Understood.”
“Alone…”
“You wouldn’t like me escorting you, so take Tail.”
Before she could even finish saying she’d go alone, Regios preempted her. Ephelia nodded. If someone had to be with her, Tail was better than Regios.
“I’ll escort you.”
Normally, he would guard her from behind, but knowing her condition, he extended his arm alongside her.
“Thank you, Tail.”
“No problem. A small resting area is prepared nearby.”
Since the banquet was outdoors, a tented space for rest had been arranged around the venue.
“Let’s go somewhere quiet. I feel worse if we go inside.”
“Right this way.”
Tail led her to a gazebo set apart from the main banquet. Ephelia tried to sit on the bench.
“Please wait a moment,” Tail said, stopping her briefly. He spread his cloak over the bench for her.
“Please, sit.”
Normally, the gazebo would have been lit, but likely intentionally left dark because of the banquet’s lights. It was quiet, with no one around. The iron bench was hard, and the night air chilling, yet her mind felt more at ease than in a cozy room.
The occasional cool breeze helped settle her stomach. As her dizziness eased slightly, thirst struck her. Only then did she realize she hadn’t had even a sip of water all this time. She instinctively touched her throat, and Tail quickly noticed.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Yes, thank you.”
From afar, the banquet looked dazzling in the dark night—but Ephelia did not want to enter that beauty.
If no one was around, perhaps she could remove the crown—but without a maid to help, her hair would be ruined. Returning to the banquet afterward would only cause more trouble.
Suddenly, she heard a light giggle. Though she had thought no one would come this far from the banquet, some young ladies had apparently ventured here.
“So, Seluna has been pushed aside after all.”
Those words struck her like a dagger.
