#9
Judith immediately felt the atmosphere of the banquet hall change.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward him and Kalid at the same time.
The density of all those gazes made his head spin.
Judith put strength into the soles of his feet so that he would not stagger.
The curious gazes of strangers followed him.
Judith accepted their attention and slowly made her way farther inside.
People seemed eager to talk about this interesting sight.
Feeling uneasy, Judith leaned toward Kalid and whispered,
“When was the last time you attended a banquet as someone else’s partner?”
“This is the last time.”
“Duke, I’m not trying to play word games with you.”
“I’m serious. You’re the first and the last.”
“…”
The color drained from Judith’s face.
Given Kalid’s appearance, which made him seem like a rather promiscuous man, Judith had never imagined that he had never brought a partner to a banquet before.
If he had attended even a few banquets, he would have known.
It was Judith’s mistake.
An unmarried duke of marriageable age, with looks and wealth far above average, Kalid was exactly the kind of husband every person here would eagerly pursue.
And the first partner he had ever brought was Judith.
For someone like Judith, who had spent his entire life carefully avoiding attention, the situation was enough to make his vision go yellow.
“If you’d told me beforehand…”
“You wouldn’t have come.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
The expression on Kalid’s face as he said it was incredibly irritating.
Judith could see people glancing at him and whispering among themselves.
“Prince Judith? The one born from that maid…””
“He’s still alive?”
“I thought he was a beta, but apparently he’s an omega. How on earth did he charm the Duke?”
“If he’s an omega, then it’s obvious.”
“They say it’s always the quietest cat that climbs onto the cupboard first.”
“Oh my, then what happens now? Will this affect the succession to the throne?”
“Perhaps. But are those two really lovers?”
Even if Judith only listened a little, he could hear endless gossip about himself and Kalid.
That was when Judith noticed Reginald.
“…”
Reginald was holding a glass and looking at Judith with clear displeasure.
The Third Prince, Hiore, was standing beside him.
They looked at Judith as though they were looking at something unpleasant contaminating pure white snow.
Judith had spent every day living quietly so that he would not attract their attention.
Now, being forced to face them directly without any time to prepare himself made it difficult to breathe.
“Ugh……”
The fear that had been deeply engraved inside him came rushing back like a dam bursting.
He tried desperately to act as though nothing was wrong, but dizziness slowly began to rise.
Eventually, Judith’s knees gave out, and he staggered as he lost his balance.
Just before he collapsed, someone firmly grabbed his arm and pulled him upright.
Judith looked up anxiously at the owner of the arm.
It was Kalid.
He was looking at Judith.
The moment Judith met Kalid’s blue-gray eyes, his trembling stopped.
“Are you all right?”
Judith’s racing heartbeat showed no sign of slowing.
Kalid led him toward the wall and whispered beside his ear,
“You don’t look well. Come over here and lean against the wall.”
Judith had no strength left, so he followed Kalid’s lead and stood against the wall.
The coolness of the wall seemed to calm him.
“I’ll get you something to drink.”
Before Judith could even refuse, Kalid strode away.
Judith let out a quiet sigh as he watched his back.
It was not a small banquet.
It was a banquet held purely for enjoyment, rather than an important Imperial event.
Of course they would be here.
He should have expected it.
Judith took a deep breath.
I just need to act as I normally do.
He encountered them constantly at Imperial events.
The only difference was that today, he had to look at them for a little longer.
“Drink.”
A glass suddenly appeared in front of Judith.
It was the glass Kalid had brought him.
Normally, Judith would have refused, but his throat was unbearably dry.
He accepted the glass and asked,
“Is it alcohol…?”
“Do I really look like the kind of person who would give alcohol to a patient? It’s fruit juice.”
Only after confirming what it was did Judith cautiously take a sip.
It tasted like an ordinary sweet-and-sour fruit juice.
Judith emptied the entire glass in one go.
“You must have been really thirsty. Want another glass?”
Kalid offered his own drink.
Judith did not refuse and drank that one as well.
Once he had replenished his sugar, he simply felt a little better.
His trembling had also stopped without him realizing it.
Judith wiped his mouth and said,
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re partners, after all.”
Judith narrowed his eyes at Kalid’s words.
People had already begun hovering nearby.
Judging by the voice just now, they had certainly heard what Kalid said.
Apparently, Kalid wanted to make their relationship seem even more convincing.
Whether Judith wanted that or not.
Since Kalid had genuinely helped him, Judith forced a smile and replied,
“I suppose we are. Thank you, Kalid.”
Kalid looked amused when Judith firmly reinforced the misunderstanding.
Judith rose on his toes and whispered beside Kalid’s ear.
It looked just like a pair of lovers whispering sweetly to each other in front of everyone.
“I’ll rest here for a while, so go talk to the others.”
“I brought you because I didn’t want to talk to those people.”
Kalid said it in a whining tone.
Judith stared at him speechlessly, too dumbfounded to respond.
“…”
“I’m joking. I’ll be back.”
Kalid erased the childish expression from his face and turned away.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen everyone.”
“Your Grace, it’s a pleasure to see you. I hope you’ve been well.”
“Your Grace, it’s good to see you. What brings you here?”
Even while talking with Kalid, people kept glancing at Judith.
Judith did not react and began looking around instead.
Despite its enormous size, the banquet hall was beautiful in every detail.
Huge marble pillars, delicately carved wall paneling, countless flowers that must have been grown in greenhouses, and lavish decorations filled the space.
The music was also excellent.
There was traditional classical music like the kind Judith had heard at the Imperial Palace, but lively waltzes that younger guests might enjoy were occasionally included in the selection as well.
On one side, clowns and dancers were performing amazing tricks.
On another, Judith spotted a small fountain made entirely from beverages.
Intrigued by the drink fountain, Judith slowly approached it.
“This is the beverage fountain we recently acquired. Isn’t it fascinating?”
A man with a neatly curled mustache and a broad forehead was proudly showing it off to the nobles.
Judith had little trouble guessing that he was Count Craven.
The nobles listened to him while maintaining faint smiles.
Judith, having grown up in the Imperial Palace, knew exactly what those expressions meant.
Contempt.
Even after spending this much money, Count Craven had still not managed to become part of high society.
As if to prove it, Craven kept glancing at the nobles for their reactions even while proudly showing off his own possessions in his own home.
Judith himself thought the beverage fountain was quite fascinating.
He stood somewhere inconspicuous and looked around when someone spoke to him from beside him.
“You seem interested in this machine.”
The voice was delicate yet firm.
Judith turned his head.
A woman with pink hair elaborately pinned up was smiling brightly at him.
She stared at Judith for a moment before seemingly realizing something belatedly and hurriedly lowering her head.
“Your Highness…”
Judith raised a hand to stop her from formally greeting him.
The woman hesitated, unable to continue.
“It’s all right. Please be comfortable.”
He had deliberately chosen an inconspicuous spot because he did not want to attract attention.
He did not want people focusing on him now.
The woman seemed to understand and nodded before pressing her index finger against her lips.
“I’ll keep quiet.”
“Thank you.”
When Judith could not take his eyes off the machine, the woman asked again,
“It’s fascinating, isn’t it? This machine.”
“Yes, it is. I’m curious about how it works.”
“If you stay until later, I can show you in detail.”
“…Excuse me?”
“That man over there is my father.”
The woman pointed toward Count Craven.
Judith had never imagined that she was Count Craven’s daughter because the count had silver hair.
After silently looking between the woman and Count Craven, Judith finally spoke.
