(167) The main character of the party (1)
After finishing the meal, she walked in the garden alone with Cyrus. Even though they weren't really talking, he looked very happy, and so did Ariana.
The garden trees tended by the skilled gardener and the flowers in the flowerbeds were especially beautiful today. Ariana walked, brushing the petals with her fingertips.
The sunlight fell on Ariana's hair. Ariana swept her hair back and looked up at the asky.
"The weather is nice."
"The sky is like your hair."
Her heart fluttered at such a trivial conversation. He held the ends of Ariana's hair and gently brought his lips close.
"It seems the Northern Lord likes kissing."
“I didn’t know that either, but I see. But, Rian, how long are you going to keep calling me the Northern Lord?”
Being called by a nickname still made her face flush. Ariana gently pulled the hair out of his hand and spoke cautiously.
“Sei.”
A picturesque smile spread across his lips. He was so excessively beautiful that she naturally thought she should have called him that sooner.
"You'll dance my first dance at the party tomorrow, right?"
Ariana shook her head at the question, which was asked as if it were obvious.
"I'll see."
"Oh, dear. I'll have to step up my game."
He answered cheerfully and took a small box from his pocket. Inside the box was a large hairpin.
It was a rose-shaped hairpin featuring diamonds for the petals, emeralds for the leaves, and sapphires for the dew drops on the petals and leaves. He pinned it to Ariana's hair and spoke.
"If you do this and come out tomorrow, I might be so moved that I shed tears."
"I guess I'll have to do this before I go out if I want to see your tears."
"It’s a birthday present I couldn’t give you.'
"Hmm?"
“Back then. When I was stupid and sent you back to the East just as you were.”
"Ah."
She recalled the moment he had suddenly changed his demeanor due to Ariana's slip of the tongue. In the past, thinking back to that day sent a chill down her spine, but now she regarded it as a minor incident she could laugh off.
But Ariana lowered the corners of her eyebrows, pretending to be hurt.
"So you are talking about that time when you crumpled up, tore up, and threw away my heart."
It was said half-jokingly, but Cyrus's expression darkened. He took Ariana's hand, looking a little restless.
"Was it that hard?"
“I thought to myself, ‘I’m destined to die just being used.’”
“No, that’s not true, Rian. Absolutely not. Because even at that moment I loved you, and because I didn’t know what choice I should make... Why are you laughing?”
Watching him nervously make excuses, she must have smiled without realizing it. Cyrus narrowed his eyebrows slightly, wrapped his arms around Ariana's waist, and pulled her closer.
"The woman holding my leash is very mischievous."
“I told you. That I wouldn’t be a good owner.”
"Since I've held onto you and shaken you, I'm sure I'll be compensated."
His lips met Ariana's. His lips were still cold and hot. But as they pressed together like that, they mingled and became the same temperature.
Ariana thought that was a good idea.
“Sei.”
"Yes?"
Cyrus.
"Yes?"
"Northern lord."
"Yes?"
She also liked the affectionate answer she heard every time she called. So even though she kept calling him, he answered sweetly every time without showing any signs of annoyance.
Because all of this was good, Ariana earnestly hoped that this peace would remain quiet.
Victoria stared at the two dresses hanging on the hanger.
One was an innocent dress that exuded a pure and delicate atmosphere, and the other was a dazzlingly red dress.
The dress, made of bright red fabric, was embroidered with gold thread and studded with pearls and diamonds here and there, making it sparkle whenever it caught the light.
When she received the finished dress, she thought it was too much, so shr decided it would be better to wear the dress she had prepared in advance.
'I guess I should wear this.'
During the elephant parade, Ariana, wearing a blue dress, was truly dazzling. Everyone couldn't take their eyes off her.
Although she occasionally heard comments like, "Isn't it too flashy?", most were compliments such as, "That kind of dress suits Princess of the East well. It looks wonderful."
She didn't want to lose. She wanted to show everyone that she, too, looked good in such a glamorous dress.
'If I arrive first, Ariana, who arrives next, will look pathetic.'
She had prepared several hearts to eat before tomorrow's party. If the power of blood and a dazzling dress were combined, it was obvious who the star of the party would be.
'And my first dance was with the Third Prince. After that...'
After arriving in the Empire, Victoria met many young nobles and charmed them. Their names would be listed one after another on dance application forms.
'No matter how much of an Empress she is, she wouldn't be able to ignore me, the protagonist of that seat.'
The Empress's favor was not bestowed merely upon a woman she favored. While catching the Empress's eye was important, she had to choose a woman whom everyone at the party would acknowledge. For that was the way to prove the Empress's discernment.
'I'm going to be the star of the party.'
After Victoria left the room, two shadows crept in. They were Noah and Louis.
The two people, who had been keeping an eye on Victoria whenever they had a spare moment, easily found the box hidden deep inside the closet. As soon as they opened the box, a foul stench of blood wafted up.
“She’s an amazing woman. To think she would even think of eating something like this.”
Noah frowned and looked down at what was inside the box. Large and small, dark red chunks of flesh.
"Just take out what you brought, Noah."
"Ah, right."
Noah took out a small bundle that he had wrapped tightly and kept in his bosom. As he peeled off the packaging, a lump of flesh similar to what was inside the box appeared.
“It’s a disgusting black toad heart. Well, even without feeding her this, our Princess Consort would win by a landslide, but teasing her a little shouldn’t be a problem.”
The carriage, bearing the seal of the Northern Carha family, was black with a red rim.
As many carriages moved toward the Imperial Palace, where the party was being held, the Carha family's carriage stood out by far. It was not just the pitch-black color, but the person riding inside that made it so.
The nobles inside the carriage pulled back the curtains and looked at the Carha family's carriage, which was rarely seen at parties like this.
The young ladies, whose marriageable age was approaching, were eager to see the person inside the carriage. However, the tightly closed windows of the Carha family carriage showed no signs of opening.
Three men were sitting inside the black carriage that everyone was curious about.
Cyrus is sitting on one sofa, and Isaac and Andrei are sitting on the opposite sofa.
Cyrus, who was sinking into a wide, plush sofa, quietly watched his old friends before opening his mouth.
"You two look as excited as a woman making her debut today."
Isaac and Andrei had been excited since this morning.
This was because it was Cyrus's first official palace party, and Ariana was also making her debutante today. Since Cyrus had looked very bright recently, the two friends were eagerly looking forward to seeing Cyrus and Ariana meet at the party.
Andrei said.
“The Princess Consort is having her debutante ball today. She must be very beautiful, right?”
At those words, Cyrus's expression softened. He spoke with a subtle smile.
"I suppose so."
Isaac took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe the tears from his eyes.
“Seeing you grow up so maturely and set your heart on a woman fills me with emotion. I, Isaac Perun, cannot hold back my tears.”
"You're like that, too? I am."
Watching his friends spout foolish nonsense, Cyrus swallowed a hollow laugh. Then, it suddenly occurred to him that he had been laughing more often.
He used to only laugh when necessary, but now laughter flows out of his mouth so automatically that sometimes he wonders if something is wrong with him.
Piiiiiii-!
Just then, the roar of a winged beast echoed from the sky. At the sound, Cyrus wiped his laughter away. Isaac and Andrei also wiped the excitement from their faces and stared at Cyrus seriously.
Soon, Louis's low voice, who was escorting the carriage, was heard from outside the window.
“It is a message from Duke Hern. The Kingdom of Wafian has requested reinforcements due to the invasion by Paganus.”
The Kingdom of Wapian was a country located in the northern part of the continent, beyond Mount Graten, and was allied with the Northern Territory. Andrei spoke with a darkened expression.
"Didn't we clear out that region? You're saying Paganus is already on the move?"
During last year's war, Paganus suffered a heavy blow from the pincer attack of the Northern and Eastern Territories and retreated. It was thought that it would take a considerable amount of time for Paganus to recover their strength, but no one expected them to gather troops this quickly.
"It looks like there is a force backing them from behind."
The reason Cyrus was able to stay in the Empire for so long was his judgment that Paganus wouldn't move for a while, but it seems he was mistaken. Cyrus looked down at his fingertips and gave a calm command.
“Louis. Tell Duke Hern to assemble his troops and send them over for now. Also, tell him that I will be heading to the Northern Territories soon.”
Rachel gazed at her daughter, Victoria, with eyes full of worry.
The dress, made of red silk with gold embroidery, was gorgeous and beautiful, but it did not suit Victoria's dark skin at all. Even her dark blonde hair looked dull because of the red dress.
It was a sight as if the dress had swallowed Victoria.
On top of that, for some reason, she had been feeling occasionally that her daughter was disgusting. She couldn't understand at all why, even though she was lovely, she sometimes felt repulsive enough to make Rachel want to push her away.
She asked her husband, Jake, to try to stop Victoria, but he had absolutely no interest in his daughter's debutante stage.
"She's just pretty, so why are you making a fuss? It's good to stand out."
Jake replied dismissively and disappeared somewhere without even attending the party. Rachel thought he had probably gone to meet a woman he had met at the Imperial Saloon.
The relationship with Jake, once fractured, did not recover, no matter how much time passed, and Helena, who visited recently, showed no sign of pity even when looking at her ailing mother. Moreover, Victoria.
'I don't think she's my daughter...'
It didn't feel like she had carried and given birth to her herself.
It feels like she's standing in front of a stranger. Lately, seeing Victoria has felt more terrible than seeing Ariana.
"Victoria."
As Rachel called out cautiously, Victoria, who had been sitting stiffly, turned her eyes toward Rachel. Rachel felt goosebumps on her forearms, but she forced a smile and spoke.
“Why don’t you change your dress now? I think the dress the West prepared will make you shine much more.”
"Mother, I am handling everything well on my own, so please don't worry about me."
Victoria's tone was polite, but her annoyance was evident. A hint of contempt could also be sensed.
Every time that happened, Rachel wanted to cry.
She simply wanted her daughters to grow up lovely and beautiful, meet good husbands, and live happily. Unlike herself, who had been forced to marry a man she did not want because she was controlled by her father, she hoped her daughters' lives would be brilliant.
But why did it turn out this way? What caused it to shatter into pieces like this?
Rachel suddenly thought.
'I want to die.'
Then she wouldn't have to endure all this suffering and frustration.
After finishing the meal, she walked in the garden alone with Cyrus. Even though they weren't really talking, he looked very happy, and so did Ariana.
The garden trees tended by the skilled gardener and the flowers in the flowerbeds were especially beautiful today. Ariana walked, brushing the petals with her fingertips.
The sunlight fell on Ariana's hair. Ariana swept her hair back and looked up at the asky.
"The weather is nice."
"The sky is like your hair."
Her heart fluttered at such a trivial conversation. He held the ends of Ariana's hair and gently brought his lips close.
"It seems the Northern Lord likes kissing."
“I didn’t know that either, but I see. But, Rian, how long are you going to keep calling me the Northern Lord?”
Being called by a nickname still made her face flush. Ariana gently pulled the hair out of his hand and spoke cautiously.
“Sei.”
A picturesque smile spread across his lips. He was so excessively beautiful that she naturally thought she should have called him that sooner.
"You'll dance my first dance at the party tomorrow, right?"
Ariana shook her head at the question, which was asked as if it were obvious.
"I'll see."
"Oh, dear. I'll have to step up my game."
He answered cheerfully and took a small box from his pocket. Inside the box was a large hairpin.
It was a rose-shaped hairpin featuring diamonds for the petals, emeralds for the leaves, and sapphires for the dew drops on the petals and leaves. He pinned it to Ariana's hair and spoke.
"If you do this and come out tomorrow, I might be so moved that I shed tears."
"I guess I'll have to do this before I go out if I want to see your tears."
"It’s a birthday present I couldn’t give you.'
"Hmm?"
“Back then. When I was stupid and sent you back to the East just as you were.”
"Ah."
She recalled the moment he had suddenly changed his demeanor due to Ariana's slip of the tongue. In the past, thinking back to that day sent a chill down her spine, but now she regarded it as a minor incident she could laugh off.
But Ariana lowered the corners of her eyebrows, pretending to be hurt.
"So you are talking about that time when you crumpled up, tore up, and threw away my heart."
It was said half-jokingly, but Cyrus's expression darkened. He took Ariana's hand, looking a little restless.
"Was it that hard?"
“I thought to myself, ‘I’m destined to die just being used.’”
“No, that’s not true, Rian. Absolutely not. Because even at that moment I loved you, and because I didn’t know what choice I should make... Why are you laughing?”
Watching him nervously make excuses, she must have smiled without realizing it. Cyrus narrowed his eyebrows slightly, wrapped his arms around Ariana's waist, and pulled her closer.
"The woman holding my leash is very mischievous."
“I told you. That I wouldn’t be a good owner.”
"Since I've held onto you and shaken you, I'm sure I'll be compensated."
His lips met Ariana's. His lips were still cold and hot. But as they pressed together like that, they mingled and became the same temperature.
Ariana thought that was a good idea.
“Sei.”
"Yes?"
Cyrus.
"Yes?"
"Northern lord."
"Yes?"
She also liked the affectionate answer she heard every time she called. So even though she kept calling him, he answered sweetly every time without showing any signs of annoyance.
Because all of this was good, Ariana earnestly hoped that this peace would remain quiet.
***
Victoria stared at the two dresses hanging on the hanger.
One was an innocent dress that exuded a pure and delicate atmosphere, and the other was a dazzlingly red dress.
The dress, made of bright red fabric, was embroidered with gold thread and studded with pearls and diamonds here and there, making it sparkle whenever it caught the light.
When she received the finished dress, she thought it was too much, so shr decided it would be better to wear the dress she had prepared in advance.
'I guess I should wear this.'
During the elephant parade, Ariana, wearing a blue dress, was truly dazzling. Everyone couldn't take their eyes off her.
Although she occasionally heard comments like, "Isn't it too flashy?", most were compliments such as, "That kind of dress suits Princess of the East well. It looks wonderful."
She didn't want to lose. She wanted to show everyone that she, too, looked good in such a glamorous dress.
'If I arrive first, Ariana, who arrives next, will look pathetic.'
She had prepared several hearts to eat before tomorrow's party. If the power of blood and a dazzling dress were combined, it was obvious who the star of the party would be.
'And my first dance was with the Third Prince. After that...'
After arriving in the Empire, Victoria met many young nobles and charmed them. Their names would be listed one after another on dance application forms.
'No matter how much of an Empress she is, she wouldn't be able to ignore me, the protagonist of that seat.'
The Empress's favor was not bestowed merely upon a woman she favored. While catching the Empress's eye was important, she had to choose a woman whom everyone at the party would acknowledge. For that was the way to prove the Empress's discernment.
'I'm going to be the star of the party.'
***
After Victoria left the room, two shadows crept in. They were Noah and Louis.
The two people, who had been keeping an eye on Victoria whenever they had a spare moment, easily found the box hidden deep inside the closet. As soon as they opened the box, a foul stench of blood wafted up.
“She’s an amazing woman. To think she would even think of eating something like this.”
Noah frowned and looked down at what was inside the box. Large and small, dark red chunks of flesh.
"Just take out what you brought, Noah."
"Ah, right."
Noah took out a small bundle that he had wrapped tightly and kept in his bosom. As he peeled off the packaging, a lump of flesh similar to what was inside the box appeared.
“It’s a disgusting black toad heart. Well, even without feeding her this, our Princess Consort would win by a landslide, but teasing her a little shouldn’t be a problem.”
***
The carriage, bearing the seal of the Northern Carha family, was black with a red rim.
As many carriages moved toward the Imperial Palace, where the party was being held, the Carha family's carriage stood out by far. It was not just the pitch-black color, but the person riding inside that made it so.
The nobles inside the carriage pulled back the curtains and looked at the Carha family's carriage, which was rarely seen at parties like this.
The young ladies, whose marriageable age was approaching, were eager to see the person inside the carriage. However, the tightly closed windows of the Carha family carriage showed no signs of opening.
Three men were sitting inside the black carriage that everyone was curious about.
Cyrus is sitting on one sofa, and Isaac and Andrei are sitting on the opposite sofa.
Cyrus, who was sinking into a wide, plush sofa, quietly watched his old friends before opening his mouth.
"You two look as excited as a woman making her debut today."
Isaac and Andrei had been excited since this morning.
This was because it was Cyrus's first official palace party, and Ariana was also making her debutante today. Since Cyrus had looked very bright recently, the two friends were eagerly looking forward to seeing Cyrus and Ariana meet at the party.
Andrei said.
“The Princess Consort is having her debutante ball today. She must be very beautiful, right?”
At those words, Cyrus's expression softened. He spoke with a subtle smile.
"I suppose so."
Isaac took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe the tears from his eyes.
“Seeing you grow up so maturely and set your heart on a woman fills me with emotion. I, Isaac Perun, cannot hold back my tears.”
"You're like that, too? I am."
Watching his friends spout foolish nonsense, Cyrus swallowed a hollow laugh. Then, it suddenly occurred to him that he had been laughing more often.
He used to only laugh when necessary, but now laughter flows out of his mouth so automatically that sometimes he wonders if something is wrong with him.
Piiiiiii-!
Just then, the roar of a winged beast echoed from the sky. At the sound, Cyrus wiped his laughter away. Isaac and Andrei also wiped the excitement from their faces and stared at Cyrus seriously.
Soon, Louis's low voice, who was escorting the carriage, was heard from outside the window.
“It is a message from Duke Hern. The Kingdom of Wafian has requested reinforcements due to the invasion by Paganus.”
The Kingdom of Wapian was a country located in the northern part of the continent, beyond Mount Graten, and was allied with the Northern Territory. Andrei spoke with a darkened expression.
"Didn't we clear out that region? You're saying Paganus is already on the move?"
During last year's war, Paganus suffered a heavy blow from the pincer attack of the Northern and Eastern Territories and retreated. It was thought that it would take a considerable amount of time for Paganus to recover their strength, but no one expected them to gather troops this quickly.
"It looks like there is a force backing them from behind."
The reason Cyrus was able to stay in the Empire for so long was his judgment that Paganus wouldn't move for a while, but it seems he was mistaken. Cyrus looked down at his fingertips and gave a calm command.
“Louis. Tell Duke Hern to assemble his troops and send them over for now. Also, tell him that I will be heading to the Northern Territories soon.”
***
Rachel gazed at her daughter, Victoria, with eyes full of worry.
The dress, made of red silk with gold embroidery, was gorgeous and beautiful, but it did not suit Victoria's dark skin at all. Even her dark blonde hair looked dull because of the red dress.
It was a sight as if the dress had swallowed Victoria.
On top of that, for some reason, she had been feeling occasionally that her daughter was disgusting. She couldn't understand at all why, even though she was lovely, she sometimes felt repulsive enough to make Rachel want to push her away.
She asked her husband, Jake, to try to stop Victoria, but he had absolutely no interest in his daughter's debutante stage.
"She's just pretty, so why are you making a fuss? It's good to stand out."
Jake replied dismissively and disappeared somewhere without even attending the party. Rachel thought he had probably gone to meet a woman he had met at the Imperial Saloon.
The relationship with Jake, once fractured, did not recover, no matter how much time passed, and Helena, who visited recently, showed no sign of pity even when looking at her ailing mother. Moreover, Victoria.
'I don't think she's my daughter...'
It didn't feel like she had carried and given birth to her herself.
It feels like she's standing in front of a stranger. Lately, seeing Victoria has felt more terrible than seeing Ariana.
"Victoria."
As Rachel called out cautiously, Victoria, who had been sitting stiffly, turned her eyes toward Rachel. Rachel felt goosebumps on her forearms, but she forced a smile and spoke.
“Why don’t you change your dress now? I think the dress the West prepared will make you shine much more.”
"Mother, I am handling everything well on my own, so please don't worry about me."
Victoria's tone was polite, but her annoyance was evident. A hint of contempt could also be sensed.
Every time that happened, Rachel wanted to cry.
She simply wanted her daughters to grow up lovely and beautiful, meet good husbands, and live happily. Unlike herself, who had been forced to marry a man she did not want because she was controlled by her father, she hoped her daughters' lives would be brilliant.
But why did it turn out this way? What caused it to shatter into pieces like this?
Rachel suddenly thought.
'I want to die.'
Then she wouldn't have to endure all this suffering and frustration.
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