It seemed that the brothers had not yet arrived. Gareth, the Crown Prince of the empire and my half-brother, always stood like a King in the center of the banquet hall or on the second floor overlooking the hall.
And Ayla stood by the Crown Prince with her supreme dignity and grace.
"But I may not be able to see Ayla Roem Guirta tonight."
I picked up a silver goblet from the small round table and chuckled softly.
Not long ago, when I remembered Ayla collapsing in the middle of the banquet hall with a blue face, a cruel sense of satisfaction welled up in my heart. As I brewed wine on the marble floor, it looked as if my heart was pouring out.
I really wish I could have made it that way.
I scratched the surface of the goblet with the tips of my sharpened nails, making a squealing sound.
I don't know how much I prayed to her half-sister lying on the floor and convulsing:
Die as it is, Ayla. Please, never open your eyes again.
"Your Highness."
I, who was in the middle of a dreary thought, turned my head to hear a voice in the distance.
A man dressed neatly in a dark green robe stood upright, one hand resting on his chest. It was a familiar face.
It was much later that I remembered that he was the one who often appeared at banquets hosted by my mother.
I couldn't remember the name. I only vaguely remembered that my mother had called him Count Serian.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you. Your Highness is becoming more and more beautiful day by day."
The man looked down at me with admiration, bent down, and kissed the back of my hand. I felt uncomfortable, as if I had been touched by a damp caterpillar. However, I smiled slightly.
"Did you ever ask my mother to play with me?"
"Her Majesty Empress is always worried about Your Highness the Empress."
The man hurriedly expressed his affirmation.
"But even if it wasn't for the Empress's request, I wouldn't have had to talk to His Highness. Look around."
He whispered in my ear as if he were telling me a great secret.
"All the men here are looking at Your Highness. They want to come to you like me, kiss this beautiful hand, and pour out their ardent admiration, but they swallow it. They don't want to be seen by His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Are you not?"
"I was hated a long time ago."
He smiled smugly.
"Thanks to you, tonight I have been entrusted with the task of supporting Your Highness, so it is a blessing in disguise."
I didn't like the guy who gave me more attention than necessary. Do you know?
It belonged to the axis of hatred.
However, it seemed better to have a plausible shield than to endure hundreds of pairs of stinging gazes alone.
I accepted the escort as if I were a red line.
"What did Her Majesty say? Did she ask you to save her poor eldest daughter, who was walking around like a black sheep?"
"Her Majesty has ordered me to help Your Highness enjoy the banquet to the fullest."
I held back a snort.
The man led me to the front of the stage, set up in front of the balcony.
"And he instructed me to do my best to stand out from anyone else in the banquet hall."
Those who were dancing to the tunes of the lyre, lute, and organ stepped back and gave me stinging eyes. But the Count didn't care and bowed to me.
"Please, will you give me the honor of dancing with Your Highness?"
I looked down at his slender, calloused hands with a reluctant look.
I didn't even have the slightest desire to contact a man I didn't even know well. However, the sharp eyes and whispering voices of the people aroused a sense of repulsion.
Everyone wants me to disappear from here. Or they want me to be quiet, as if I were stuck in a corner.
But it can't be like that.
I grabbed the man's hand. He put his arm around my waist as if he had been waiting for me and began to move around the stage with skill.
Even me, who hates contact with others, couldn't help but admire the man's excellent dancing skills. Count Serian knew how to perform perfect movements to the tune and had a knack for making his opponents stand out exquisitely.
I have always loved to dance, but I have never felt as graceful as I do now. And it seemed that I was not the only one who felt that way.
I looked over the Count's shoulder, who skillfully rotated my body. I could see hundreds of pairs of eyes moving in unison following my movements. Everyone could not take their eyes off the illegitimate child of the imperial family, whom they had looked down on so much.
I felt elated. In the past, when I appeared in public, people would pretend that I wasn't and snoop on my every move. However, it was only an expression of contempt and wariness.
But this time was different. They were looking at me as they were looking at my mothers. I felt the eyes filled with fear and fascination, tangled up in my body like a tangled thread.
It was as if I had become Senevere. The most powerful, dangerous, and beautiful being in the world.
However, the sweet feeling of victory was short-lived. Suddenly, the music stopped, and the real heroes of the banquet appeared.
"His Highness Gareth Roem Guirta, Great Crown Prince of the Empire, and Her Highness Ayla Roem Guirta, First Princess of the Empire, are entering!"
With a loud shout from the chamberlain, two members of the royal family walked majestically through the entrance of the banquet hall and descended the marble stairs. And I was quickly pushed out of people's attention.
Count Serian laughed bitterly and led me to the terrace where the drinks and food were served.
"It's a pity that the fun time was interrupted."
The Count smirked as if to relieve my stern expression, but not a word came to his ears.
I stared at Ayla in a pure white dress with burning eyes. She seemed to have forgotten about the ugliness she had seen in public a few weeks ago.
When I saw her beautiful face standing beside her brother and smiling gracefully, my stomach burned with anger.
I looked at them relentlessly, tearing apart their deep black hair, emerald eyes, and ivory-carved faces.
They were full of royal elegance and dignity. It was something that Senevere and I could not have, no matter how hard we tried. Senevere was the poisonous snake that brought down the young Emperor, who had once been praised as a prosperous Emperor, into the swamp of filthy infidelity, and I was the filth that came out of the viper's belly. Even if Senevere gave birth to dozens of Emperors' sons in the future, that fact would never change.
I glared silently at my half-sibling, surrounded by the intense attention of the crowd, and turned to the table with the wine glasses. Then, she noticed that those who were looking at the Princess and the Crown Prince with envy glanced at me and exchanged subtle glances.
My nerves were on high alert. I wanted to dig out all their eyeballs.
Don't compare me to them.
I suppressed what I wanted to shout and desperately feigned an indifferent expression, but the man next to me whispered in my ear without noticing.
"It seems that you two are trying to ignore Your Highness's existence. What can you do? Would you like to go and greet them first?"
I stared at him with venomous eyes.
He pulled the corners of his mouth as if he were amused.
"Didn't you come here for that?"
I bit my lip.
True to his words, I had come here to make the brothers feel bad. To create a terrible dissonance in the place where they are celebrated by everyone. And Senevere must be hoping for it.
I finally regained my composure, grabbed my glass tightly, and turned to my half-brothers. Then I took a bold step among the crowd.
At that moment, Barcas Raedgo Sheerkan appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall.
I stopped all movement. My heart was pounding as if I had been ambushed.
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