Chapter 65
After bowing in all four directions—east, west, south, and north—I got into the carriage to head to the palace.
Noticing the difference in my expression from when I had arrived, Ilias spoke to me.
“Adeline, are you tired?”
“No.”
“You don’t look well. I’m worried.”
I wanted to tell Ilias everything.
In this crowd of countless people, the only person who could truly understand me was him.
“…I just feel too guilty.”
Understanding my words, Ilias’s expression darkened as well. As expected, there was no need to explain everything to him.
A heavy silence settled inside the carriage, and we remained quiet until we arrived at the imperial palace.
—
As soon as I arrived at the palace, I changed into a new dress and styled my hair differently.
This time, I wore a red off-shoulder mermaid-line dress and put my hair up. I abandoned the serene and sacred atmosphere in favor of a more glamorous and mature look.
When I stepped out after getting ready, Ilias’s gaze lingered around my neck. Feeling slightly awkward, I fiddled with the pendant on my necklace.
“No matter what dress you wear, it suits you well.”
“Thank you.”
Together, we headed to the banquet hall of the emperor’s palace.
The celebration banquet was a kind of after-party attended by the imperial family, the pope, cardinals, and high-ranking priests.
Although the number of attendees was not large, making the event relatively intimate, it was still the most extravagant and luxurious banquet.
All the tableware was made of silver, and the food and drinks were the finest specialties gathered from across the empire.
Seated at the head of the table was Emperor Aust. To his left sat Empress Sierra, Ilias, me, Aiden, and the families of the emperor’s younger sisters. To his right sat the pope, Christian, other cardinals, and high-ranking priests.
Looking toward the clergy, Emperor Aust spoke.
“It was a magnificent blessing ceremony. On behalf of the imperial family, I express my gratitude, Your Holiness.”
“It is only natural for us to be united for the sake of the empire, Your Majesty.”
At least for today, both the imperial family and the clergy hid their claws and smiled.
Raising a glass of wine, Emperor Aust made a toast.
“To the birth of the new Crown Princess!”
Everyone present emptied their glasses.
Since each guest had their own attendant serving them, there was never a moment when food or drink ran out.
Everyone was smiling—whether sincerely or out of pretense.
Everyone, except for one person.
Aiden.
Apparently, he found the harmonious atmosphere unbearable. He sulked, muttering under his breath just loud enough for me to hear.
“A commoner having a blessing ceremony? What a joke. A commoner! This country is doomed.”
Annoyed by his pathetic grumbling, I repeated his words aloud.
“A commoner having a blessing ceremony? What a joke. A commoner! This country is doomed. That was a question for me, right? And the last part was a lament out of concern, correct, Prince Aiden?”
Aiden’s eyes trembled as if he had been struck by lightning, and his expression twisted with rage.
He was glaring at me with all the curses he wanted to say.
It seemed he had never expected me to repeat his words loudly in front of everyone.
Ignoring his reaction, I put on a gentle, saintly smile.
Then, with all my might, I played my role with utmost sincerity.
Placing my right hand over my heart, I tried to exude a holy aura.
“Since Prince Aiden is curious, I shall answer.”
With eyes filled with gratitude, I gazed around at the people seated at the table. Then, with a slightly flushed face, I carefully opened my lips.
“For a commoner like me, having a blessing ceremony was an incredibly honorable experience. I believe this was all thanks to the grace of His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress. I am also deeply grateful to the clergy for holding the ceremony without prejudice. And, of course, to my husband, who always cherishes me.”
I turned to Ilias with soft eyes.
“Thank you, always.”
Ilias took my hand and kissed it.
“No need for words.”
That line from a song suddenly came to mind.
Truly, we were a perfect duo, a couple with impeccable chemistry.
Unbothered by the gazes around us, we continued our act as a loving couple before turning away.
Aiden was staring at me with his mouth agape, utterly dumbfounded.
Dropping my affectionate tone, I spoke coldly.
“I believe that should satisfy your curiosity. Also, Your Highness, I would appreciate it if you addressed me with my proper title. Do not call me a commoner—please refer to me as the Crown Princess. Don’t behave as if you’re uneducated.”
Aiden’s face turned red with rage.
“You—what? Uneducated?! Who says I’m uneducated?!”
“No one needs to say it. You’re proving it yourself.”
I provoked him further. Aiden glared at me as if he were about to explode.
“See, this is why commoners—! If I spoke quietly, you should’ve answered quietly! You have no tact or manners, yet you dare call me uneducated?!”
The atmosphere had already turned cold, but neither of us cared. Only the people around us were restless.
The difference between Aiden and me, however, was that he was furious, while I simply blinked innocently.
After all, the one who loses their temper first, loses.
I continued to smile brightly.
“Well, I never realized we were close enough to have private conversations like this, Your Highness. You must think of me fondly. Since you’re always curt with me, I never noticed. Next time, please give me a signal.”
I picked up a carrot from my plate with a fork and lifted it.
“Wave a carrot like this.”
I winked.
Aiden’s jaw dropped.
Naturally, the entire banquet froze.
Everyone looked as though they had just been handed a bomb instead of food.
Oddly enough, the clergy seemed less surprised than the imperial family.
Having dealt with the troublemaker Adeline many times before, they must have been less shocked.
The one who finally broke the bizarre silence was Ilias.
“Aiden, I remember warning you not to speak rudely to Adeline last time.”
His voice was as cold as ice, instantly lowering the temperature in the room. Even I, sitting next to him, could feel the chill.
“This is all because of you, Ilias! Why are you taking it out on me?!”
Aiden, unable to hold back any longer, snapped in frustration, even slipping into informal speech.
Bang!
Ilias slammed the table and stood up.
At that moment, Empress Sierra, who had been watching both of us intently, finally spoke.
“People make mistakes. Why are you reacting so sensitively?”
As Emperor Aust shook his head to signal for them to stop, Ilias bit his lip and sat back down.
“Aiden, it seems you need to undergo etiquette training again. If you require discipline, feel free to visit the temple.”
Just when it seemed like the situation had settled, Christian’s intervention reignited the flames of war.
Christian cast a cold gaze at Aiden.
To my surprise, Aiden looked even more flustered than I did. He probably never expected a cardinal—someone he considered an ally—to mock him.
Aiden, unable to hold back, shouted at Christian.
“No matter how high your rank as a cardinal, do you not understand that you should show respect to a prince?”
“Do you believe I was disrespectful? I assumed you wouldn’t even be able to distinguish such things. That’s unexpected. Now, how should I describe your behavior? ‘Selective courtesy’ would be the perfect term.”
“What did you just say? Selective courtesy?”
Christian twisted one corner of his lips into a smirk.
“Christian Berzel! Are you prepared to take responsibility for your words today?”
“Of course. Unlike some people, I don’t do things I can’t take responsibility for.”
The pope was visibly flustered, unsure of what to do, but he did not stop Christian. No, he couldn’t stop him. The pope no longer had the power to restrain him.
Since the pope remained silent, Empress Sierra quickly stepped in to de-escalate the situation.
“That’s enough, Cardinal. And you, Aiden, stop as well.”
“Mother!”
Aiden glared at Christian, filled with resentment.
Unlike Aiden, who couldn’t contain his anger, Christian remained eerily composed as he spoke.
“Refrain from speaking recklessly about events hosted by the temple. From now on.”
Only after Christian appeared to back down did the pope finally let out a forced chuckle to ease the tension.
“Young men full of passion, isn’t that right? Both His Highness the Prince and Cardinal Berzel.”
The pope patted Christian on the shoulder.
“Our Cardinal Berzel takes great pride in the temple. You have no idea how reassuring that is for me.”
After that, the meal continued in tense silence. No doubt, many people at the table had lost their appetite.
Once the meal was over, the attendees visibly relaxed.
Moving to the reception hall, they split into small groups, engaging in light conversation while enjoying some drinks.
Ilias turned to me and apologized.
“I’m sorry, Adeline. Aiden always causes trouble.”
“It’s fine. You know I’m the one who always escalates things when they could be ignored. Aiden is actually quite an amusing opponent.”
At that moment, Christian approached us.
I could sense Ilias tensing up with wariness. However, Christian paid him no mind and looked only at me.
“How did you find today’s blessing ceremony?”
“It was a sacred and gracious experience. Thank you, Cardinal Berzel.”
I gave a formal response. I still wasn’t entirely comfortable having conversations with him, no matter how well he treated me.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Christian’s gaze was unrelenting.
“That pendant is quite beautiful.”
His hand reached for the pendant on my necklace. The moment I instinctively stepped back in shock, Ilias swiftly knocked his hand away.
“What do you think you’re doing, Cardinal? This is highly inappropriate.”
“There was no particular intent. I was simply drawn to its beauty, and my hand moved on its own.”
Just the mere act of Christian touching my pendant sent a wave of terror through me. If he had touched my body directly, I wouldn’t have been as startled as this.
“Your Highness.”
Ilias openly displayed his displeasure as he glared at Christian.
“I have no intention of harming Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
“That’s not how it looks to me at all.”
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