Chapter 153
It turned out that my mother had been training with the sword for a long time because she originally wanted to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps and guard the borders.
However, because the emperor persistently pursued her like a stalker, she completely lost affection for the empire.
There were even stories that the emperor, having misunderstood Duke Elard as my mother’s lover, tormented him terribly.
In any case, my mother fell in love with my father as if it were fate, and they fled to the Duchy of Belus—not quite a romantic escape, but an escape nonetheless.
My grandfather, meanwhile, had to start training my uncle, his youngest son, as his successor, which proved to be quite a struggle.
‘I always found it odd that Grandfather, who constantly said he wanted to retire early and indulge in desserts, took so long to pass down his title.’
“Adriana, it’s time to get off.”
At that moment, my father, who had yet to soothe my mother’s anger, held out his hand to me instead, as she turned her head away in frustration.
We had finally arrived at the imperial palace.
***
“Their Graces, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Belus, and their daughter, the Grand Princess Adriana, have arrived!”
As the attendant’s loud announcement echoed through the hall, the massive golden doors swung open.
‘As expected, I’m not that nervous.’
I had been more anxious during my coming-of-age ceremony and debutante ball at the grand ducal castle.
With a calm expression, I took my parents’ hands and walked slowly into the banquet hall.
Despite the event being arranged suddenly, the hall was packed with nobles.
Piercing gazes pricked at my skin.
It was as if they were trying to dissect me, their eyes scrutinizing me from head to toe with each step I took.
But I wasn’t afraid.
If anything, I was the one who knew all their little habits and the ugly secrets they tried to hide.
Besides, my attention was already elsewhere.
‘Oh my, my lovely Dana!’
Diana, who had met my gaze, beamed at me with overwhelming joy and excitement.
Naturally, the people around her came into view as well. There was Duke Elard, his eyes wide open, and the duchess, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
Next to them stood Allen, looking somewhat dazed, and Jack, who didn’t blink even once.
I wanted to immediately pull my parents toward them, but I couldn’t.
Regrettably, there was someone I had to greet first.
Gracefully, I walked forward and stopped before the emperor and empress. Then, lifting the hem of my dress slightly, I bent my knees in a perfectly measured curtsy.
“I greet the Sun and Moon of the Raksten Empire.”
I was just about to continue my flawless formal greeting when…
“There’s no need to be so stiff with your etiquette!”
The emperor suddenly cut me off and ordered me to lift my head.
Startled, I raised my gaze and met the emperor’s eyes as he sat on the throne above me.
The emperor, whom I was seeing for the first time, looked just like the portrait I had seen before—a tall, imposing man with deep red hair and black eyes.
I had thought he looked rather stern, but the smile he wore as he looked at me carried an oddly warm air. His eyes were filled with longing and nostalgia.
“Ahh, truly, Lady Stella…”
“Please be mindful of your words, Your Majesty.”
My father cut the emperor off with a firm response.
I widened my eyes in shock, but the emperor merely muttered, “Hmm. Yes, she is the Grand Duchess now,” and stole a glance at my mother.
Even so, he couldn’t take his eyes off me.
“Your name is Adriana, is that correct?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Even your voice…”
The emperor, paying no mind to the eyes on him, seemed lost in thought as his expression turned dazed.
Seeing his unexpected reaction, I instinctively glanced to the side. As if reading my thoughts, the empress gave me a serene smile.
“The Grand Princess does resemble the Grand Duchess. She is quite lovely.”
“So you think so too?!”
“I heard she had been recuperating for a long time. Thank you for making the journey to the empire despite that.”
“It’s like looking at a young version of the Grand Duchess! Truly astonishing!”
The emperor and empress’s conversation felt strangely disconnected, and my head spun from it all. But I managed to smile and respond.
“Yes, I’ve recovered enough to travel long distances now. Thank you for your concern.”
Hearing this, the emperor’s face lit up with excitement.
“You’ve regained your health? How commendable! Then I shall grant you a reward. What would you like?”
“…Pardon?”
“There’s no need to decline! I’ll give you anything.”
The emperor’s eyes gleamed as if he had been waiting eagerly to give me a gift.
“My treasure vault holds many rare items. Ah, now that I think about it, I have a pink diamond tiara. It would suit you perfectly. How about that?”
“…”
I hesitated, staring at the emperor with a reluctant expression.
Noticing my lack of enthusiasm, the emperor quickly added,
“I also have a dress made from the scales of a legendary mermaid!”
“A necklace that was once a national treasure of a lost kingdom!”
“A treasure map from a legendary island!”
He seemed so eager to give me something that I feared he would list treasures all night. Just as I was about to politely refuse, a particular phrase caught my attention.
“I even have some old relics from ancient times, but I wonder if you’d like them…”
‘Ancient relics?!’
I had heard from Raizel that, just as the emperor was obsessed with the color pink, he also had a deep fixation on ancient artifacts.
I was startled, but when I looked at the emperor’s expectant gaze, I realized he had a clear priority…his desires came first.
‘If the imperial family had taken the holy relic after House Pettier fell in the past, maybe I could have obtained it without even raiding the treasury—just by asking.’
I quickly shook my head at the thought.
The emperor likely didn’t have the relic I was looking for. But even if he did, I had no intention of asking him for it.
Perhaps because of my past encounters with the pink-haired imperial princesses, the emperor’s presence felt unpleasant and unsettling.
‘Besides, I have a bad feeling that if I accept a gift, something incredibly troublesome will follow.’
Just as I decided to firmly decline,
“Haah.”
My mother let out a loud sigh.
Even as the Grand Duchess of a powerful nation, sighing in front of the emperor was an extremely rude act.
In any other situation, this could have caused an uproar, but…
“Ah! I’ve kept you standing for too long! Your legs must be tired! Someone, bring the Grand Duchess a chair immediately!”
…The emperor threw a different kind of fit.
***
‘Wow, that was exhausting…’
After an endless stream of instructions from the emperor, urging me to visit often and enjoy the upcoming Founding Festival, I finally stepped away, inwardly shaking my head.
The banquet had just begun, yet I already felt drained.
‘If Mother hadn’t interrupted, I might have been stuck with the emperor all night.’
I stole a glance toward my parents, who were seated near the imperial couple.
The emperor had been quite blatant in his favoritism, which worried me, but fortunately, my mother and the empress seemed to be getting along well, sharing a pleasant conversation.
“What? You’re not staying in the palace? But I already ordered a separate palace to be prepared for you!”
The emperor’s loud exclamation was filled with disappointment.
I could only imagine that he had decorated the entire place with pink walls and pink furniture.
Shuddering at the thought, I quickly looked away.
Then, I felt all eyes on me, holding their breath. Gazes filled with anticipation, waiting for a chance to speak to me.
Especially those of the unmarried noblemen, they lingered on me a little too intently.
‘They must really want to become the Grand Duke’s son-in-law.’
Well, forming a connection with me, the Grand Princess of Belus, would certainly bring them immense benefits.
It wasn’t surprising…I had felt the same kind of attention before, not just here in the Empire.
Ever since my debutante ball, love letters and marriage proposals had flooded the Grand Duchy like a tidal wave.
Most of them came with sweet confessions about love at first sight, but their true intentions were so transparent that I couldn’t muster much interest.
‘Of course, Father and Ascart were outraged, while Mother simply smiled as if it was to be expected.’
Since I had anticipated a similar reaction in the Empire, I remained calm, steadily walking as I scanned my surroundings.
And finally—
“Diana!”
“Sister…!”
Diana ran straight into my arms.
***
The nobles who had been lingering nearby, hoping for a chance to approach the Grand Princess after her audience, gasped in surprise.
Out of nowhere, Lady Elard had rushed forward and embraced her.
‘Did they know each other?’
The young nobles who were watching curiously soon recalled that the Belus Grand Duke’s heir, Ascart, and the Elard heir, Lucio, were close friends.
The older nobles remembered an even deeper connection between the Grand Duchess and Duke Elard.
Now that they thought about it, there had been faint rumors about the Belus Grand Princess and Lady Elard exchanging letters.
It must have been an arrangement between the families to provide companionship for the sickly Grand Princess.
But no one had expected them to be close enough to embrace like this.
‘Even so, isn’t this far too disrespectful? She may be a foreign noble, but she’s still a Grand Princess…’
The noble youths who had hoped to catch the Grand Princess’s attention, as well as their parents, watched with displeased expressions.
Touching someone without permission was already a serious breach of etiquette, let alone suddenly hugging them.
They wondered if the startled Grand Princess might be offended.
Everyone held their breath, eagerly watching to see how she would react.
