EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 175

Chapter 175

***

 

After arriving at the Imperial Palace, we followed the attendant who had come to greet us and headed toward the Emperor’s palace.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to explain or clear up anything about Nicholas to Clara.

She had been led away by the palace staff for an inspection of her belongings.

My inspection was brief—perhaps because of my status, or maybe because of the Emperor’s favoritism. They simply let me pass through the magical barrier set up by the Imperial Court Wizard.

“Your Highness, the Grand Princess, then I shall escort you to the drawing room—”

“No. I’ll wait here for my cousin.”

I let out a small scoff at the attendant’s suggestion that I go ahead to meet the Emperor, not satisfied with merely separating Clara and me.

I waited until Clara finished her inspection.

After a while….

“Clara…?”

Something must have happened during that short time. Clara appeared looking thoroughly exhausted.

As I widened my eyes in surprise, an attendant beside me whispered,

“Because of the Founding Festival, inspections are being conducted much more thoroughly.”

It was a subtle reminder that I had received special treatment from the Emperor.

Pretending not to hear, I greeted Clara.

“Clara, you did well.”

“It’s nothing. We’re about to meet His Majesty; there’s no room for any negligence.”

Despite her obvious fatigue, Clara’s expression wasn’t all that bad.

In fact, her eyes were sparkling, as if she found everything about the Imperial Palace exciting.

‘Well, it’s rare for an ordinary noble lady to be invited to the Emperor’s palace.’

Just then, a puzzled look crossed Clara’s face.

“But Adriana, are you already done?”

Even though we had been separated, she seemed firmly convinced that I had undergone the same rigorous inspection process as her.

Not wanting to get into an unnecessary argument, I quickly said,

“Yeah. Anyway, let’s hurry. His Majesty must be waiting.”

Thankfully, Clara nodded.

As we followed the attendant, a grand and magnificent door came into view.

Once our arrival was announced, the heavy doors swung open.

“Ah, you’ve finally arrived! Hahaha! Thank you for coming.”

The Emperor, who had been lounging on a sofa, sprang to his feet to welcome us.

‘There’s no need for him to stand up…’

It was overwhelming, but I masked my discomfort and bowed to the Emperor.

Then, behind me…

“Clara of the Amber Count family greets His Majesty, the Sun of the Empire.”

At Clara’s greeting, the Emperor stroked his chin thoughtfully.

I worried he might insult Clara and humiliate her, but fortunately, he did not.

“Hmm, the daughter of Countess Amber, I see.”

Clara’s eyes widened as she asked, “You know my mother?”

The Emperor raised the corner of his mouth and replied,

“Of course I do. In the past, she used to visit the palace often and would tease me quite a bit. How could I not know?”

“Te-Teas…!”

Unable to repeat the word ‘tease,’ Clara hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands.

Ignoring Clara’s flustered reaction, the Emperor turned to me and said,

“It wasn’t anything serious. The countess merely made me dream foolish dreams by hinting that the Grand Duchess had feelings for me.”

Laughing, he gestured for Clara and me to sit on the sofa.

As we sat down, still a bit stunned, attendants began laying out tea and a variety of tea foods.

“I had them prepare desserts the Grand Duchess used to like. I wonder if they’ll suit your taste.”

Accepting the madeleine the Emperor offered, I sneaked a glance at Clara.

She was glaring at me fiercely, as if blaming me for the humiliation she had just suffered.

I felt a bit wronged.

‘Come on, how was I supposed to know the Countess had once gotten on the Emperor’s bad side?!’

Luckily, Clara quickly managed to compose her expression…

But it was all for nothing—starting then, the Emperor began treating Clara like she didn’t exist.

Blushing, Clara could do nothing but sit still, unable to leave or speak, like a decorative screen.

Only then did I realize: the Emperor had deliberately embarrassed Clara.

Because his original plans had been disrupted by Clara accompanying me, he was venting his frustration in his own way.

‘Well, it’s also likely he still held a grudge against Countess Amber.’

Once again, I was amazed at the audacity of the Countess.

She must have known her sister disliked the Emperor, yet still dared to lie and frequent the palace.

Now I understood why my mother would shake her head and my grandfather would sigh whenever Countess Amber’s name came up.

“This here is a ruby brooch once worn by the Empress Dowager of the now-fallen Ferdin Empire.”

While I was letting out a small sigh inside, the Emperor, full of energy, started explaining his twelfth treasure.

Currently, we had moved to view the Emperor’s treasure vault.

Seeing the Emperor’s excited face made me automatically force a stiff smile.

‘How did things end up like this…’

 

***

 

A little earlier, in the drawing room, I had been feeling extremely awkward between the Emperor’s goofy smiles and Clara’s cold, glaring eyes.

I had tried to get to the point quickly, specifically, to return the gift the Emperor had sent.

But the moment I signaled to the attendant holding the tiara, the Emperor waved his hand and said,

⟨You’ve only just arrived. No need to rush. Did you dislike my gift so much?⟩

⟨No, that’s not it…⟩

⟨Of course, a gift depends most on the feelings of the one who receives it. So why don’t you choose one yourself instead? There’s still time before the luncheon; come, let’s tour my treasure vault together.⟩

At first, I naturally thought he was joking.

Who in the world would show their treasure vault so easily?

But the Emperor always exceeded my imagination.

 

***

 

“Hmm, it seems you don’t care much for jewelry. Well, your mother wasn’t interested in jewels either.”

The Emperor said this in a regretful tone after observing my expression.

I could only smile awkwardly.

In fact, even I, who had seen countless rare artifacts at the Grand Duke’s castle, was amazed by the Emperor’s treasure vault.

Even Clara, who had been making a humiliated face after being treated as a nonentity by the Emperor, couldn’t close her mouth as she looked around in awe.

The only reason my reaction was lukewarm was because my mind was completely focused elsewhere.

‘There are no ancient relics here.’

Raizel had clearly said that the imperial treasure vault was stacked with relics.

Yet among the dazzling treasures the Emperor showed off, there wasn’t a single one that appeared to be an ancient relic.

‘Maybe they have a separate space just for the relics?’

In a way, it was a relief that the sacred artifact I was looking for wasn’t here in the Emperor’s treasure vault.

I had bragged to Raizel that I could easily retrieve it, but if I had barged in recklessly, I might have gotten completely lost.

Just as I was thinking that—

“Good. Then let me show you the item I treasure most.”

With a triumphant face, as if determined to finally draw out a reaction from me, the Emperor led the way further into the vault.

We proceeded until we stood before a door layered with multiple powerful magical barriers.

When the Emperor placed his hand on a magical security device attached to the door, a series of heavy clanking sounds echoed, and the door slowly opened.

“…”

For a moment, I felt all the strength leave my body.

I had half-expected another illusion to appear, like what had happened at the Spleesia greenhouse, but nothing happened.

‘Well, Raizel did say the divine blessing he gave me was a one-time thing.’

Besides, thinking about it rationally, most ancient relics were just very old objects.

Objects that carried a special meaning for me, like the Spleesia, were rare, so it would actually be strange if anything unusual happened here.

“Hmm…”

At that moment, Clara, who was standing beside me, let out a small hum of disappointment.

Her expression clearly showed her dissatisfaction.

After seeing so many rare jewels, statues, and paintings, she had probably expected something even greater. But here, there were only strange, ancient-looking objects strewn about.

Then, the Emperor’s steps, which had been heading inside without hesitation, suddenly stopped.

I widened my eyes at the item he proudly displayed.

Seeing my surprised reaction, the Emperor asked with a face full of satisfaction,

“Can you tell what it is?”

“…Is it a mana stone?”

“You recognize it!”

At the Emperor’s delighted voice, I swallowed hard.

Inside a glass case protected by magic was a top-grade mana stone, about the size of a baby’s fist, shimmering with a brilliant pink light.

It was a mana stone I had made long ago.

‘…You kept it here?’

I knew the person who bought my mana stone for the highest price at auction was the Emperor, but I hadn’t expected him to store it in his treasure vault, in the innermost, most secure area, treating it so preciously.

“You must have seen many mana stones in Belus, but none like this one, right?”

I had no words to reply to the Emperor’s question.

Instead of answering, I just kept staring at the mana stone, prompting the Emperor to speak subtly,

“I heard that wizards lose their minds when they see mana stones. I wonder how it is for you, Grand Princess?”

This sly Emperor…

I really couldn’t afford to let my guard down around him. He was trying to subtly find out whether I was a mage.

Until now, information about me had been strictly controlled by the Duchy, so not many outside knew that I was a mage.

However, considering that my father was the only archmage on the continent and my brother was also a famous genius, it was understandable that the Emperor would be curious about whether I, too, had talent in magic.

‘Besides, the Belus Grand Duke family has always had exceptionally strong mana affinity compared to others.’

Even so, I had no intention of answering him honestly.

He already wanted me as a daughter-in-law; I had no reason to encourage him to desire me even more.

“Mana stones are truly mysterious items.”

I smiled gently at the Emperor, who was watching me intently.

“Knowing their value, who wouldn’t treasure them?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

The Emperor chuckled and nodded.

But it didn’t feel like he was truly agreeing from the heart.

“This is quite embarrassing. I thought that since this was my most prized item, it would surely please you.”

Perhaps realizing that he wouldn’t get the information he wanted, the Emperor turned away.

As I followed him with a polite but apologetic expression, it happened…

“…!”

A chilling sensation wrapped around my whole body, as if someone had gripped my heart and was squeezing it.