A sharp glint flashed through the eyes of the elderly noble who sat upright in his chair, observing the situation.

His deeply etched wrinkles twitched, seemingly displeased at being summoned so unexpectedly.

Even so, his thin lips only twitched, looking like he might or might not say something, so Marquis Eckartmann demanded an answer again.

“I asked if my words were wrong. Your hearing can’t have dulled already.”

At Marquis Eckartmann’s blatant mockery, the noble faction members standing beside Count Anthony showed their displeasure and murmured.

However, no one dared to speak carelessly against the marquis, who held the greatest prestige among the nobles and was the leader of the emperor faction.

Meanwhile, the stubborn face of the elderly noble, who maintained a leisurely expression, turned past Marquis Eckartmann toward the two people standing at the head table.

After quietly observing Jedrian’s fiercely contorted face, he soon looked at Laurencia.

Count Anthony, who raised one corner of his mouth slightly at her expression that immediately turned cold, finally rose slowly from his seat and opened his mouth.

“That’s correct. Her Highness can also become empress. Of course.”

Count Anthony, who paused briefly, turned his gaze toward Jedrian.

“Only if she receives His Majesty’s approval.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier, Count?”

Jedrian asked.

Though his tone seemed light, clear murderous intent permeated his voice. The nobles who knew Jedrian’s cruel nature instinctively shrank their shoulders.

Unlike the tense nobles, Count Anthony, standing alone with dignity befitting the leader of the noble faction, answered with a gentle smile.

“That was an oath between my house and the imperial family. No matter how much I stand here now, I cannot break the long-standing oath between my house and the imperial family.”

“So you attached yourself to me to protect that house, then ultimately deceived me to protect that house.”

“‘Deceived’ is too strong a word, Lokan. And you seem to be mistaken about something.”

Count Anthony’s expression, which had been speaking gently like a kind grandfather scolding an ignorant grandson, turned fierce in an instant.

Soon, a voice as cold as that gaze flowed out.

“I am protecting Lokan, not the other way around. You need to understand that clearly.”

At Count Anthony’s chilling warning, even dropping the honorifics, Jedrian’s expression completely hardened.

The air inside the banquet hall froze cold in an instant.

Laurencia’s eyes shook anxiously at the suddenly changed atmosphere.

‘He’s absolutely not someone who would stand up for me. Then why is he suddenly taking my side—no, going beyond that to bare his fangs at Jedrian like that?’

She stared at the cunning Count Anthony while her mind raced.

Unable to figure out the reason, she glanced at Marquis Eckartmann, the one person she could trust most.

But Marquis Eckartmann, who had acted like he would leave immediately, was now sitting in his chair, enjoying the noble faction’s division.

However, his expression was also hardened, seemingly sensing something suspicious.

An ominous feeling crept over her for some reason. But she couldn’t grasp what it was at all.

Then, Jedrian muttered with a fierce face.

“Hmm, it’ll be difficult to enjoy the banquet in this mood. I apologize, but I’ll excuse myself for a moment, Your Highness. I’ll return once my mood settles.”

Then the man turned his head and spoke loudly to the nobles.

“The atmosphere has become a mess. Still, since this is a gathering I prepared wholeheartedly for Her Highness, please enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Before anyone could stop him, the man turned and left the banquet hall with quick steps.

Laurencia’s face, left alone at the head table, crumpled belatedly.

Only after Jedrian left did she realize what the two men’s despicable scheme had been.

The unsettled atmosphere gradually cleared as the splendid music rang out again, unconcerned with the feelings of the princess who was the star of this banquet.

When the young ladies and gentlemen from each house, who had only been reading the room, began coming out one by one to dance, the air inside the banquet hall quickly became lively.

Like nothing had happened, smiles bloomed brightly on the nobles’ faces at the imperial palace banquet held after so long.

Soon, only the heads of major houses from both factions moved to their own hideouts one by one, seemingly having a secret meeting.

The nobles who couldn’t join gathered in small groups, glancing at the princess left alone and whispering.

Laurencia, who had been coldly watching the door Jedrian left through, fiercely glared at the noble faction nobles leaving through that door afterward.

Then, Count Anthony, who slowly turned around, smiled contentedly at her and bowed his head slightly.

Though it seemed like a deliberately gentle smile, it was clearly a sneer.

A mocking smile saying she was still nothing but a greenhorn.

Her fist, clenched so tightly her pale hand turned red, trembled.

She had even played the strong card of succession rights to leave Jedrian no escape route, but with one word from that cunning old noble, the situation had become neither here nor there.

The absurd result made her stomach churn.

After staking the name of successor and even proclaiming Jedrian as the next sovereign, what had she gained?

Far from extracting a promise to let her see her father, the game ended futilely without her even trying her next move.

Of course, nothing would change until he fulfilled the conditions she had set.

Jedrian would still remain in the position of Lokan, and the marriage would be postponed indefinitely.

No matter how much of a double-edged sword it was, the blade had clearly been sharpened in her favor, yet she was furious at the situation where she’d revealed her intentions without properly wielding that sword.

Her eyes grew hot. She gritted her teeth and stood stubbornly, when she felt something wrap around her shoulders.

Laurencia’s eyes, slowly lifting her head, trembled finely.

An expressionless face was watching her with unreadable eyes.

A hollow laugh escaped for a moment. The nobles of Armazé, who should have been on her side more than anyone, had betrayed her, yet the one who came to protect her was a spy from another country.

Could there be anything more absurd and ridiculous than this?

“Let’s go inside and rest for a moment.”

Her heart constricted at the man’s unusually dry voice. Perhaps because she felt guilty, Ashar’s cold voice somehow felt frightening.

She obediently nodded her head.

Receiving Ashar’s escort, Laurencia barely descended the stairs and walked as he led, staring only at the floor.

The moment she entered the empty lounge, her legs, which had been stubbornly holding up, swayed.

Even as she quickly leaned on the man supporting her and sat on the sofa, her eyes were empty, ruminating on the lost opportunity.

“Drink.”

The water glass suddenly offered brought focus back to her dazed pupils.

Her long eyelashes trembled as she sensed his still-cold voice.

As she slowly drank from the weakly held glass, her blocked breath finally burst out.

“Haah…”

The sigh full of regret circled the lounge miserably before disappearing.

Ashar, who received the empty glass with an expressionless face and set it down on the side table, leaned his back against the wall facing her.

Then he stared into space with a hardened face, seemingly pondering something.

Glancing at him, Laurencia spoke in a voice mixed with resignation.

“Just resent me. If that’s not enough, curse at me or something.”

Instead of answering, he sent a cold gaze and let out a big sigh like he was frustrated.

At that sigh that seemed to suppress anger, tears finally formed in her eyes as sorrow surged up.

“If only it hadn’t been for Count Anthony…”

Her voice, struggling to swallow her anger, trembled finely. A dark red color spread over the back of her hand gripping the sofa tightly.

But an unexpected question flowed from the mouth of the man she thought would naturally reproach her.

“Really. Do you intend to marry that b*stard?”

She slowly raised her head and stared blankly at Ashar, who was looking at her with sharp eyes.

Seeing the blue eyes revealing even greater anger than before, she was at a loss for words.

It was natural for him to be angry since the plan they’d secretly made had failed spectacularly.

But somehow, she had the illusion that the reason for his anger wasn’t just that.

At that moment, harsh words poured out, correcting that illusion.

“Perhaps you truly wanted to marry that b*stard? Looking at it carefully, you seemed to have feelings for him too.”

“What!”

“I heard it. When you kissed him, what some nobles were saying.”

“What…?”

Her face turned bright red in an instant, and he twisted up the corners of his mouth triumphantly and deliberately exposed her shame.

“What was it again? That the reason you stubbornly returned was because you still couldn’t forget him. Ah, and you confessed first too, right? Is that true?”

“…!”

“If it’s true, the man you loved with body and soul coldly sent you to another b*stard, so it makes sense you’d lose your mind. It’s absurd that your revenge had a different purpose than mine, but I under—”

“No!”

She shouted and shot up. Clenching her trembling hands tightly, she barely moved her stiff legs and approached him.

Then she raised her hand mercilessly.

Smack—!

The sharp sound of impact filled the intimate lounge.