Episode 99

“Lastly, there is someone I would like to introduce to you all. Daina, come closer.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Many of you are well aware that Princess Daina has been blessed with divine abilities. Because of this, she has been secluded from all outside contact and has resided in the temple, praying daily for the empire since her youth.”

Ah, so unlike me, the princess hadn’t just been visiting the temple that day.

“But now, the time decreed by the gods has ended. Thus, the princess will return to the royal family and assume her duties as a member of the royal household.”

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the nobles began whispering among themselves.

“Does this mean His Majesty is including Princess Daina in the line of succession?”

“It’s not certain, but it seems that way.”

“The Crown Prince must be feeling quite unsettled.”

“Things are about to get busy.”

“Indeed.”

Listening to the murmurs around me, I began to understand the situation.

In my opinion, the emperor’s introduction of the princess seemed to be an effort to bolster her position, possibly even more than that of the Crown Prince.

I glanced around and noticed the Crown Prince.

Despite the setting, he was trying hard to maintain a neutral expression, but he couldn’t completely hide his displeasure.

I didn’t know much about the Crown Prince, but from what I saw in my dream, his demeanor was cold and stern.

Given the current circumstances, I understood why he appeared that way in my dream.

“…Madam?”

Lost in thought while staring at the Crown Prince, Lloydin’s voice brought me back.

“Yes?”

I quickly regained my composure and turned to look at Lloydin.

“What were you thinking about?”

“Oh, nothing much.”

“…Is that so?”

Lloydin gazed at me as if trying to see through me, but I smiled and played it off casually.

“Have you met Princess Daina before?”

“I met her once before she entered the temple.”

“So did I. I met her when we were children. And then recently, I happened to meet her again at the temple.”

“At the temple? So, you visited the temple recently?”

Lloydin’s face showed surprise at the mention of my visit to the temple.

“Yes, I visited the temple to pray for your safe return from the campaign.”

I had initially hesitated to mention my trip to the temple.

There was no need to remind him of the temple’s ostracism of the Blythe family.

However, it wasn’t something I necessarily needed to hide, so after a brief moment of consideration, I decided to tell him.

“Did anything happen at the temple?”

Lloydin’s face was filled with worry, and the purification ritual immediately came to mind.

“Nothing happened. A priest who is close friends with my father was there, and I had a safe visit. You don’t need to worry.”

I answered lightly, as if the purification ritual had never occurred.

He didn’t need to know about such ineffective rituals.

“That’s a relief. I was worried that something might have happened to you because of me…”

Seeing Lloydin let out a heavy sigh of relief made me feel a pang of sadness.

How much must he have suffered and been persecuted by the temple to react this way?

“Really, nothing happened, so you don’t need to worry.”

I emphasized again to reassure him.

“Alright. But please, for my sake, don’t go to the temple again. Even if nothing happened this time, there’s no guarantee it will be the same next time.”

“I promise.”

Lloydin finally smiled lightly at my response.

A moment later, the gentle strains of dance music filled the banquet hall.

‘Oh?’

Recognizing the familiar melody, I quickly scanned the room.

Nobles were pairing up and moving to the center of the hall.

Soon, the scene from my dream unfolded before my eyes.

Lloydin extended his hand to me.

“Madam.”

His words were exactly as I remembered.

In the dream, he had asked me to take his hand, calling me ‘Madam.’

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, I quickly took his hand, not wanting him to notice my unease.

He led me to the center of the hall, where we let the music guide us.

While dancing, my mind was overwhelmed with thoughts about the dream.

I tried to understand what was happening.

‘Did I really have a prophetic dream?’

Earlier, I had been skeptical.

I thought perhaps it was just a coincidence that Lloydin and the Crown Prince were wearing the same clothes as in my dream.

But the identical actions and words of the people made it hard to dismiss.

I had dreamt of today’s events the night before.

“Madam, what are you so deep in thought about?”

“Huh?”

“You seem distracted tonight. Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Lloydin had noticed that I was lost in thought throughout the banquet.

“That’s a relief. Please let me know if you get tired and want to leave early.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern.”

I smiled brightly at him, pushing away my thoughts.

Strange things were happening, but there was no point in worrying about them now.

It was more important to alleviate the concerns of the man in front of me.

As if on cue, the music transitioned to a lively, upbeat tune.

“The music is great. Duke, let’s go closer to the band and dance.”

I led him away from the crowd to where the music was loudest and danced without any other thoughts.

Clearing my mind allowed me to finally enjoy the banquet, and I danced with Lloydin until the music stopped.

“That was so much fun, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I enjoyed it.”

After dancing, we returned to our seats to rest.

While sipping wine, I heard a sudden crash.

The sound of a wine glass shattering on the floor mirrored the scene from my dream.

I wasn’t surprised anymore.

Calmly, I watched as the event unfolded.

“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Just like in the dream, a servant knelt before the Crown Prince, bowing and pleading for forgiveness.

“Tsk, such a mess.”

Following the Crown Prince’s gaze, I looked at his sleeve.

The stark white of his tailcoat made the red wine stain stand out prominently.

“Take him away.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Please, Crown Prince. Forgive me. Just this once, please…”

The knights mercilessly gagged the servant, preventing him from finishing his plea.

Only after other servants came and cleaned the floor did the situation finally settle down.

‘How incredible.’

How could everything happen exactly as if it were preordained?

So, this is what seeing the future feels like.

Amazed, yet oddly deflated, I stared into the void above me.

Curious if I would lock eyes with the Crown Prince as I had in the dream, I began to turn my head, but my view was quickly blocked.

Lloydin had stepped cleverly in front of me.

“Duke?”

“Your glass is empty. Would you like more wine?”

He asked if I wanted more wine, smoothly diverting my attention.

“Uh, yes. Please.”

When I answered, somewhat bewildered, Lloydin signaled for a servant.

The servant swiftly approached and refilled our glasses.

The entire exchange flowed so naturally that it didn’t seem out of place.

Taking a sip of wine, I resolved to focus on the present and not dwell on the dream.

Since the dream ended at this point, there was nothing more to think about.

As I finally managed to push thoughts of the dream aside and enjoy the deepening atmosphere of the banquet, I noticed Princess Daina, who had been greeting various nobles, looking our way.

I could see her heading straight toward us.

“Princess Daina,” I greeted her as she approached.

“Good evening. It’s been a while since we last met at the temple,” she said with a warm smile.

“Yes, it has. You look radiant tonight, Your Highness.”

“Thank you. And you look lovely as well,” she replied before turning to Lloydin. “Duke, it’s good to see you again.”

“The pleasure is mine, Your Highness,” Lloydin replied with a slight bow.

The three of us exchanged pleasantries for a moment, discussing the banquet and the events of the evening.

As we chatted, I couldn’t help but notice how poised and confident Daina was. Her presence seemed to command respect and admiration from everyone around.

“Madam, Duke, would you care to join me for a dance?” Daina asked, extending her invitation to both of us.

Lloydin glanced at me, and I nodded with a smile.

“We would be honored, Your Highness,” Lloydin replied.

The three of us made our way to the dance floor, joining the other couples.

As the music played, I danced with both Lloydin and Daina, enjoying the elegance and grace of the moment.

It felt like a scene from a dream, yet it was entirely real.

The evening continued to unfold beautifully, with laughter, music, and the warmth of companionship filling the air.

Despite the earlier strangeness of my dream and the eerie accuracy of its events, I found myself embracing the joy of the present moment, surrounded by friends and loved ones.