Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Part 6: The Luision Imperial House

At last, the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet arrived. After finishing all the preparations, the Duke and I stepped out of the manor. But the moment we passed through the front entrance, there was the young marquis, leaning sideways against the carriage. He hadn’t gone straight to the Imperial Castle—he’d made a point of coming to the Cuvershaiden manor first.

“Laura!”

He waved at me cheerfully. His broad smile and light-colored hair, glittering in the sunlight, made him look so fresh and bright.

“Greetings, young marquis.”

I bowed my head slightly to acknowledge his greeting.

“Wait, Laura. No need—don’t bow. You’ll mess up your hairpiece.”

He waved both hands hastily, then strode over and studied my face with his eyes.

“You look… truly beautiful today, Laura.”

“Oh… thank you.”

Truth was, I didn’t feel like myself today. Strange as it sounds—I was wearing a gorgeous dress I’d never put on before, loaded with lavish accessories, and my lady-in-waiting friends had poured their souls into doing my makeup.

When I’d finally finished getting ready and looked at myself in the mirror, I felt, naturally enough, awkward. Not that I looked bad, but… somehow unfamiliar.

“Of course, you were always beautiful. I just mean that this different look suits you perfectly, like today.”

The young marquis shrugged and added.

“I’m not so sure… but does it look all right?”

“All right? Anyone would say it’s splendid. Right, Elize?”

He tapped the Duke beside him with the back of his hand. Following his gesture, I turned my gaze to the Duke. Then, with a flicker of expectation, I waited for his answer.

“Yes. Very…”

‘Very?’

“Very…”

‘Very?!’

“…….”

But that was it. He couldn’t add another word. He simply looked at the young marquis in silence, then furrowed his brow so faintly no one else would notice.

“Benat, why did you come all the way here?”

“We agreed to move together, didn’t we?”

“Ha… fine. Then you take your own house’s carriage separately. Let’s set off now.”

The Duke turned his steps back toward where the Cuvershaiden carriage was waiting.

“So ‘very much’ is all you have to say? Didn’t Handel teach you any proper lines?”

The young marquis pressed close at his heels. Watching from a distance, it looked almost as if he were bullying the Duke—pecking at him like a sparrow, annoying enough to grate.

“Shut up, Benat.”

The Duke snapped back irritably, then glanced sidelong at me.

“No… strike that. Just keep it down, Ben.”

He exhaled a short sigh. Then he stood by the carriage door—held open by the coachman—and extended his hand toward me. It was his way of saying it was time to board. I gave a small nod and placed my hand in his.

All the while, the young marquis paced in front of the carriage. He practically radiated a look that said, ‘So you’re really not letting me ride with you?’ But the moment I climbed inside, the duke stepped in after me and pulled the door shut without a word.

The carriage lurched forward, wheels rattling over the paved street. Then I glanced out the window. The white carriage of the Marquis’s house was trailing behind us. The abandoned young marquis was scrambling to catch up.

Hmph. Good luck, young marquis.

“Laura.”

The duke chose that moment to call my name. I tore my gaze from the window and turned to look at him.

“Yes?”

“……”

“……?”

“……Quite,”

“Quite?”

“……beautiful. Truly.”

Whoa. Just came out of nowhere with that, huh. Truly.

I found myself fidgeting, biting my lip for no good reason. A bashful warmth crept into my cheeks, but I forced it down and managed a soft smile for him.

“Yes! Thank you, Duke-nim. You look… well, you always look amazing and handsome and beautiful, but today you seem especially stunning.”

Then I tried my best to throw him some charms of my own.

How was that? I praised you with all my heart. At this rate, you should be swept by emotion and totally fall for me… right?!

Truth be told, I didn’t really know how to do this kind of thing. Still, I put in the effort in my own way. I couldn’t tell if my intent got through, but the Duke rested his elbow on the windowsill, propped his chin in his hand, and whipped his gaze outside the window.

Hmm… Not working…?

I quickly glanced at his ear. The rim of his ear was slightly flushed. Judging by that, it seemed to be working better than I thought.

Got it!

“By the way. That little soul—was she called Shion?”

He kept talking without turning to face me. Almost like he was awkwardly changing the subject.

“Yes.”

“So you’re saying she might have inherited the dragon’s power passed down through the imperial family?”

“Yes. After all, Shion’s abilities are that extraordinary…”

I scratched one cheek with my forefinger as I answered. Dragons and whatnot—in the end, it was nothing but speculation, so my words naturally trailed off, lacking certainty.

“Laura, before we investigate Shion any further, there’s something you should know.”

“Yes?”

“When I was young, I met an old ghost in the Imperial Castle. She said she’d lived here since the founding of the empire. And she told me the founding myth of Luision was all a lie—that the imperial family has no dragon’s blood at all. I don’t know how much of her story I can trust, but I think it’s worth keeping in mind.”

“I see.”

Honestly, the story about inheriting a dragon’s power had always felt a bit far-fetched. It seemed more likely that the imperial family had fabricated a false myth to deify the imperial bloodline.

But even so, Shion’s abilities were far too extraordinary for her to be merely a human who died and became a ghost.

“Your Grace, then—if we go to the Imperial Castle, could I meet that ghost? I think it’d be worth hearing more of her story.”

“…It’s not impossible. But.”

“But?”

“…That soul is rather frightening.”

“Ah…”

Damn. He said it’s a scary ghost. That’s a no-go, then.

I gave up quickly. I didn’t want to deal with anything scary…

“Then, when you were young, what stories did that ghost tell you?”

Instead, I tried to find some clue through the stories the duke shared.

“Wait. Let’s continue that story later, Laura. We’re here.”

He tilted his chin toward the window in reply. I followed his gaze and turned my eyes. The grand, resplendent Imperial Castle had drawn close, looming before us.

“Let’s go.”

The Duke hopped down from the carriage and extended his hand to me. I took his escort and stepped down from the carriage. Soon, I could see the marquis’s carriage pulling in behind the Cuvershaiden carriage. The young marquis seemed to have arrived just in time.

The young marquis joined us right away, and we entered the Imperial Castle as a group. The moment we stepped into the banquet hall, the eyes of everyone gathered there fixed on us. They were murmuring and whispering among themselves. They seemed curious about me, appearing alongside the duke and the young marquis.

The Duke pulled me through the crowd over to a table laden with food. Then he picked out a beautifully placed strawberry tart from a plate and placed it neatly into my hand.

‘Huh? What’s this?’

Looking up at the Duke in puzzlement, he calmly spoke.

“We need to see the Emperor first.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“Since you came as my partner, you can come along—but it’s better if you don’t. The Emperor has a mischievous streak.”

“Understood. Then I’ll wait here.”

I nodded in reply. Honestly, the thought of facing the Emperor myself was overwhelming. I’d rather wait alone for the duke and the young marquis. With some tasty food in my hands, at least.

“Oh, Laura.”

“Yes?”

“I am the duke of this empire.”

“I know that much.”

I stared at him, wondering why he’d state the obvious. He met my gaze with his blue eyes.

“You’re here as the duke’s partner. Which means you hold commensurate authority. So do as you please.”

What was that supposed to mean?

I kept my eyes locked on him, silently demanding an explanation. But without a word, he turned and walked across the banquet hall.

“Then enjoy your favorite strawberries. I’ll be back soon!”

The young marquis, standing beside him, shot me a small smile before following right after. And just like that, I was left standing alone.

What the hell…?

Bewildered, I blinked at their retreating backs.

Well… let’s eat this first…

With nothing else to do, I picked up my fork and sliced into the pie. I was curious about what the duke meant, but I wanted to taste the delicious food in my hand more than I wanted to puzzle it out.

“Oh my, are you the one who came with His Grace the duke?”

Before I could even take a bite of pie, someone spoke to me. I looked up to find three women glaring at me with venomous expressions. Their stance was undeniably hostile.

“Um… yes?”

“A face I’ve never seen before. From which house are you?”

The woman in the middle asked, covering her mouth with a fan. She had lustrous black hair and deep-set eyes—a striking beauty. Her tone was clearly provocative, but I’ve always had a soft spot for beautiful people. So I answered her honestly.

“I’m a daughter of House Highen.”

“I’ve never heard of that house. Which region does it belong to?”

The brown-haired woman beside the beauty snorted. Her tone carried a thin veneer of mockery.