Chapter 05

“It’s Ethan. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

Eroica’s clear voice resonated pleasantly from beyond the door.

All the foreign nobles who had visited Franz were staying in the Imperial Palace. After changing his clothes, Ethan immediately made his way to Eroica’s room, which was not far away.

Eroica had just finished getting ready and welcomed him while surrounded by several maids.

For a while, Ethan could not take his eyes off the sight before him.

She was a woman with a mysterious charm that could not be found anywhere else—not in any kingdom, nor even anywhere in the Empire.

And today, she was unquestionably at her most beautiful.

In Palestian, Eroica’s clothing had been simple and practical.

Despite the hot climate, she had still managed to shine even in light clothing with her hair tied back tightly.

But the maids assigned to serve Eroica by the Emperor had dressed her with great care.

The traditional Franzian clothing worn by Eroica made her smooth, flawless skin stand out even more.

The layers of luxurious silk looked almost like Eroica’s own delicate skin.

The flowing fabric fell exquisitely along her collarbones and shoulders, while the pale skin reflected in the elaborate ornaments decorating her hair looked almost translucent.

Her unusually slender figure, combined with her considerable height, made Eroica even more striking.

Even though she had never been particularly interested in dressing herself up, the air of nobility surrounding her could never be hidden.

Now that she had been deliberately dressed to perfection, her beauty was beyond comparison.

“Wow, Eroica. I don’t think I want anyone else to see you looking like this.”

She answered Ethan’s half-joking, half-sincere remark with a shy smile.

“Are you planning to enchant the entire Empire with your beauty?”

Her beauty deserved to be praised.

It was not merely her physical appearance. She possessed a kind of nobility that made even her blood seem as though it must be precious.

“You flatter me.”

Eroica answered modestly, but even she found her reflection in the mirror unfamiliar.

She wondered if she was dressed too extravagantly, but there was no harm in attracting attention.

In any case, she thought it would be better if as many people as possible remembered her existence.

After telling the maids, who had finished their duties, to withdraw, Eroica approached Ethan.

“Come to think of it, it seems fortunate that the current Emperor is not hostile toward our family.”

Eroica gathered her skirt and gracefully sat down.

There was still a little time before the banquet began.

“Yes. If what you said is true, then the former Emperor must have betrayed your family. But the current Emperor’s reaction was more favorable than I expected.”

“Very few people within the Empire seem to know what happened that day. Most of them probably believe that our family was destroyed because of my father’s rampage.”

The power possessed by the Duke of Claudis was Flame Manipulation.

More than twenty years ago, this power had played the greatest role in Franz’s conquest and unification of the Three Kingdoms.

Afterward, the Duke was praised as a hero of the Empire.

But Divine Power was not omnipotent.

Every person who possessed Divine Power had their own weakness.

The Duke’s weakness was that once he used his power for too long, it became difficult for him to control.

“So the current Emperor also believes that the destruction of House Claudis was caused by the Duke’s power.”

Eroica nodded.

“Yes. If that’s the case, then there is only one dangerous person.”

Eroica thought of Kyleve.

She remembered the moment earlier when he had met her gaze without looking away.

The adult Kyleve, who gave her an entirely different impression from the boy she had known as a child.

“He could kill me at any time. For now, I need to make my existence known throughout the Empire as much as possible.”

That was why she had put more effort into her appearance than usual.

There was no reason for the man who had destroyed her family to spare her simply because she was Eroica.

For now, she needed enough power to survive even outside Kyleve’s favor.

The name Claudis, and the support of as many people as possible.

Those were the things she needed to obtain above all else.

Ding.

Just then, a bell rang to announce the beginning of the banquet, and Ethan naturally took Eroica’s hand.

“Well then, shall we go, Eroica?”

As always, Eroica took the hand Ethan offered as he escorted her.

The banquet celebrating the prince’s coming-of-age ceremony was even grander than a festival.

Countless nobles from various countries had attended in hopes of winning the Empire’s favor.

The banquet hall was more crowded than ever, yet it remained magnificently luxurious.

The culture of the Empire blended with guests from foreign nations, creating an atmosphere that was both traditional and exotic.

“I hear Franz’s Fourteenth Prince is so breathtakingly handsome that merely looking at him is enough to make a person lose their senses.”

“He’s a prince who rarely shows himself in public. Perhaps we’ll finally get a chance to see him now?”

Since the prince rarely ever set foot in high society, the noblewomen had eagerly anticipated his appearance.

Although Kyleve had no interest in banquets, his appearance had already become famous, and expectations surrounding him were enormous.

Yet the guest of honor himself did not appear even after every guest had taken their seats.

Brigitte, who had been waiting for Kyleve, began to grow anxious.

Everyone is already here with their partners…

Her impatience showed in her lips, which she had bitten until they turned red.

Tonight, in front of everyone, she intended to make it unmistakably clear that the seat beside Prince Kyleve belonged to her.

Thinking about all the days she had tirelessly worked to win Kyleve’s attention nearly brought tears to her eyes.

Even when Countess Vesalonia had told her that she should have given up by now, Brigitte had remained steadfast.

But as the prince continued not to appear, her anxiety only grew.

“His Highness Prince Kyleve has arrived.”

The musicians who had been filling the banquet hall with rich music paused for a moment before beginning to play a magnificent melody once again.

Everyone stopped their busy movements and turned their attention toward a single place.

Kyleve’s noble figure appeared.

His tall stature and perfectly straight posture overwhelmed the entire room simply by his entrance.

His bright eyes seemed to illuminate the darkness, making his presence impossible to ignore.

With his characteristic slow, measured stride, the atmosphere itself seemed to grow heavier.

People looked upon the guest of honor to their hearts’ content.

He didn’t forget to wear it.

Brigitte’s eyes immediately went to Kyleve’s neck.

There, hanging around it, was a piece of fabric embroidered with the same pattern as the one on her sleeve.

As everyone’s attention gathered around him, the Emperor, who enjoyed standing before an audience, stepped forward.

“Today, representatives from every nation have honored us with their presence to celebrate the coming-of-age ceremony of my younger brother, Kyleve Halshaltar. As the Emperor of the Great Empire of Franz, I, Bosarba Halshaltar, express my gratitude to all of you. I hope everyone enjoys the banquet.”

Bosarba placed an arm around Kyleve’s shoulder and pretended to be a loving elder brother.

Those watching them nearly fell for the act completely.

It seemed his performance had been successful.

However, Kyleve soon removed his brother’s arm as though it were an annoyance and took his seat.

The embarrassment belonged to Bosarba, but Kyleve had no reason to care.

As he made his way toward his seat, he unconsciously scanned the vast banquet hall.

She had not arrived yet.

At least, it seemed so.

“Why, you’re wearing something very pretty.”

As always, Bosarba approached the seat beside Kyleve.

He was a younger brother who constantly ignored him, but Bosarba could never resist his curiosity.

His attention was drawn to Kyleve’s clothing.

Kyleve was wearing a cravat embroidered with a delicate pattern that Bosarba would normally never have paid any attention to.

“Was it a gift?”

Kyleve continued to give him no response.

Bosarba became even more awkward, but this was nothing unusual.

It’s not as though this is the first time that bastard has ignored me.

Kyleve completely shut Bosarba out.

Instead, he repeatedly glanced toward the firmly closed doors.

He continued waiting.

The door he had been stealing glances at finally opened just as Kyleve, bored, picked up an innocent-looking wineglass.

She was entering through the open doorway.

At that moment, it felt as though the entire world had suddenly cleared.

Perhaps everyone else felt the same thing, because soon every gaze in the room turned toward a single place.

“Isn’t that the youngest daughter of Claudis?”

Kyleve was not the only person who had been waiting to see her.

Everyone had heard that House Claudis, which was believed to have been completely destroyed, had a youngest daughter.

She had set foot on Franzian soil today, and apparently her beauty was unparalleled.

According to those who had caught brief glimpses of her, her reputation had already grown to rival Kyleve’s.

And the rumors had not been exaggerated.

At the sight of her breathtaking beauty, people began whispering among themselves.

“How can she be so enchanting? Look at those jewel-like eyes. And her hair…”

It was not only the men who praised her beauty.

The noblewomen immediately declared her the most beautiful woman in the entire country, while the young ladies looked at her with envy and jealousy.

“I heard her Divine Power still hasn’t been revealed. If she really is a Claudis, she must possess tremendous power to prove it, right?”

At the same time, there were voices questioning her worth and significance.

Just as the others reacted, Kyleve’s gaze remained fixed solely on her.

Nothing else existed at the end of his line of sight.

He saw Eroica accepting the hand offered to her by another man.

Eroica had been aware of the gazes directed toward her ever since she entered the banquet hall.

But she had absolutely no interest in the attention she was receiving.

Ethan, likewise conscious of everyone watching them, turned toward Eroica.

“Shall we have a dance?”