Chapter 39

The day of the Imperial banquet had arrived. The Imperial Palace was more lively than usual, and the attendants were busily finishing preparations as they rushed between the ballroom and the corridors. Meanwhile, the nobles who had come to the palace began entering the ballroom one by one.

Was everything going well?

Diana’s eyes busily scanned the ballroom. Since the banquet had been organized on such short notice, she felt a bit uneasy, but fortunately, nothing seemed seriously wrong at first glance.

“Hello, Lady Amber!”

A few ladies greeted Diana. Dressed splendidly for the occasion, they were the same ladies Diana had met at the Marquis family’s social gathering last time. Recognizing them, Diana greeted back.

“Hello, it’s been a while.”

“It really has. Oh, but Lady Amber, aren’t you attending the banquet today?”

Seeing Diana dressed as an aide, the ladies asked, and Diana confirmed.

“I’m here today in my capacity as an aide.”

“I see. That must be difficult, working instead of attending the banquet.”

“No, I volunteered. It’s not that hard.”

In truth, getting dressed up was much harder for Diana. Last time, even at the Marquis family’s social gathering, she’d struggled with the fuss over dressing up, and the Imperial banquet was even more demanding. She could just imagine the trouble she’d have gone through with Mary and the other maids. Diana quietly sighed in relief.

“Oh, right! That means you must have seen His Highness, the Grand Duke?”

“Pardon?”

“I heard His Highness has been staying at the palace, and that he met His Majesty. So Lady Amber, you must have met His Highness too?”

Now, all the ladies’ sparkling gazes were fixed on Diana.

“Is he really as handsome as the rumors say? The book claims his looks could capture the heart of every woman in the Empire.”

“Well, as far as his looks go, yes…”

“Really?”

On the surface, Kahil truly was the kind of man who could captivate any woman. The problem was elsewhere, but the ladies, unaware of that, couldn’t hide their excitement.

“Hearing you say that makes me even more curious, Lady Amber. Is he really that skilled in martial arts?”

“And is he really that tall?”

“That’s right, well… Instead of me explaining, it’ll be faster to see him for yourselves in a little while.”

She didn’t want to spoil the surprise for the ladies, who would soon be shocked and terrified. Even if she told them now, they wouldn’t believe her.

“Well, I’ll be going now. There are still things I need to check. Have a wonderful time, everyone.”

Diana quietly slipped away before the ladies could grab her. Luckily, they were soon busy chatting among themselves, mostly about Grand Duke Kahil.

It wasn’t just the ladies who were interested in Kahil. Every noble at the banquet was showing immense interest in him. As proof, the nobles kept glancing toward the ballroom doors between conversations.

Would it be alright?

Diana also looked at the doors, worried. Kahil was one thing, but Evan and Sophia entering together was just as unsettling. They had promised not to do anything outrageous, but Diana still couldn’t imagine them calmly holding hands and entering together.

“Senior Aide! You’re here.”

Neil came up to Diana, papers fluttering in his hands from moving so quickly.

“I checked everything you asked for. There were no problems. Everything’s running smoothly.”

“Really? Did you check the guest list for the ballroom? We need to confirm everyone’s arrival.”

“I’m checking that too. Almost all the nobles on the list have arrived.”

“What about His Highness?”

“Oh, that…”

At Diana’s question, Neil’s face darkened.

“…He’s probably here. Of course.”

“‘Probably’? You didn’t check, did you?”

“No.”

Still suffering from the shock of Kahil, Neil was showing clear signs of avoidance.

“But is this banquet really okay? Do we have to hold a welcome banquet for His Highness in front of all the nobles in the capital?”

“If the guest of honor insists on a banquet, what can we do? We have to do it.”

“Still, this is too cruel. There must be so many nobles filled with dreams and hopes like me…!”

Neil covered his face in agony, imagining the disaster to come. Just then, the ballroom doors slowly opened and two people appeared.

“Grand Duke Kahil Karbel and Lady Irene Daian are entering!”

At the mention of Kahil’s name, the ballroom stirred. All eyes turned to the entering Kahil. Neil squeezed his eyes shut, unable to watch, while Diana watched with trembling anticipation.

Kahil and Irene walked step by step into the ballroom. The nobles began to murmur, and Diana’s eyes widened.

What? Something feels different…

“My goodness, he’s even more handsome than the descriptions in the book.”

“Really, and his aura is so mysterious. He’s amazing.”

Diana could hear the excited chatter of the ladies nearby. She too noticed the different atmosphere around Kahil. Tilting her head, Diana soon realized why.

He isn’t speaking, is he?

From the moment he entered the ballroom, Kahil hadn’t said a word. She didn’t know why, but his silence made his aura much stronger. Whatever else might be said, his looks were undeniably overwhelming; Kahil now seemed truly quiet and dignified.

“…Is this a dream? Senior Aide, it’s like the Grand Duke I always wished for is standing right before me.”

“Right? For a moment, I thought he’d changed. Not speaking really makes a difference.”

Neil rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Kahil’s silent presence was enough to dominate the ballroom.

“I was nervous when I first saw him too. Not speaking really changes things.”

At this rate, the feats in the book might not be entirely lies. Maybe even his enemies fled in fear of this Kahil, Diana thought.

“But still, he can’t stay silent forever.”

“…That’s true.”

Everyone except Diana and Neil, who knew Kahil’s real nature, was cheering for him. Still escorting Irene, Kahil walked silently toward the inner part of the ballroom. As Diana kept watching, another announcement rang out.

“The Sun of the Empire, Emperor Evan Alleon and Lady Sophia Christine are entering!”

The last pair to enter the banquet appeared. Diana’s eyes followed the ballroom doors. The other nobles were now preparing to greet the Emperor.

“So His Majesty’s partner is Lady Christine?”

“Of course. Everyone must have expected that.”

For the nobles, Evan and Sophia entering together was hardly surprising. But Diana alone felt tense. They had agreed to be each other’s partner, but it was hard to imagine them calmly holding hands and entering.

This was a combination that couldn’t be trusted. Diana couldn’t let her guard down.

The doors slowly opened, and Evan and Sophia appeared. Both wore calm expressions as they matched their steps and entered. Then Diana’s eyes caught something unusual. She spoke in surprise.

“What is that, just what is that?”