121. Shall We Not Go?

Larael let out a deep sigh. It would have been perfect to use it at a time like this.

Edward had told her to forget about the magic tool, but because she felt guilty for losing something that belonged to him, she hadn’t been able to meet his eyes for a long while.

Since it was a masquerade ball, everyone would be wearing masks, but no one could enter without the invitation issued by the Imperial Family. The uninvited guests from Hashiya were preparing for the ball using the invitations given to them by the one who had brought them into the Empire.

The five most skilled assassins of the Hashiya Kingdom, under the orders of Rasman II, had crossed into the Kazel Empire and were hiding in a mansion somewhere in the capital.

They had portraits of Edward, Larael, and other key figures pinned to the wall, committing their faces to memory.

“No matter what happens, the Empress Consort must be kept alive.”

That was the only request made by the one who had summoned them to the Empire.

“But what if we face a situation where we must kill the Empress Consort? Say we can’t kill the Emperor unless the Empress Consort dies first. What then?”

“Why should we care what the Grand Duke of Kazel says?”

Cecile, the only woman among the five assassins, spoke indifferently, her gaze fixed on the Empress Consort’s portrait. Grinding her teeth, she shifted her eyes between the angelic, innocent faces of Larael and Edward. In the Battle of Kayaneuman—what Hashiya called a one-sided massacre—Cecile had lost her father to Edward.

‘I’ll make you feel what it’s like to lose the one most precious to you.’

***

“Your Highness, it’s snowing!”

Joanna clapped her hands like a child as she shouted, looking out the window. At her words, everyone in the bedchamber turned their gaze outside.

It was the first snow of the year, later than usual. In the County of Hedway, snow was a rare sight even in winter. That was why Sasha and Joanna had been glued to the window since morning.

Larael quietly walked over and stood beside them. Then she pushed the window open. A gust of cold winter air rushed into the bedchamber all at once.

“Your Highness, aren’t you cold?”

Joanna hurried to fetch a thick shawl and draped it over Larael. Flakes of snow, as light as down, floated in on the wind. Larael stretched out her hand to catch them. The snow melted instantly upon touching her skin. She gazed silently at her hand, then turned her eyes back toward the outside.

At the sound of knocking, Anais stepped into the chamber but froze in surprise.

“The weather is not good.”

She quickly strode to the window, shut it, and placed a heavy fur cloak around Larael’s shoulders. Then she cast a disapproving look at Sasha and the other maids, her eyes full of reproach.

“Your Highness, you must take care of your health. It may sound unkind, but this is not merely your own matter.”

Larael nodded. Considering upon whom the Imperial Palace revolved, it was only natural for Anais to speak that way.

“Now then, we shall begin preparations for the masquerade ball.”

Anais clasped her hands together and spoke with a face that bordered on madness.

**

Larael sat in the Emperor’s private parlor, holding her mask and gazing out the window.

The snow, which had begun to fall lightly in the morning, was now coming down as though it would blanket the entire world. Because of the unexpected snow, Larael had arrived at the main palace earlier than planned and was waiting for Edward. Anais had suggested it would be better to come before the snow piled higher, and Larael had agreed. She also had another reason—she wanted to use the snow as an excuse to see Edward a little sooner.

The door to the parlor opened, and Edward strode in toward Larael. She struggled to suppress the upward curve of her lips at the sight of him, looking as though he had just stepped out of a painting.

“I greet His Majesty, the sun of the Empire.”

“Larael……”

Edward softly murmured her name. His voice carried a decadent allure, and Larael bit down on her lips. Edward leaned in, so close their faces nearly touched, his breath brushing against her. He raised his hand as if to caress her face, then hesitated.

“Your Majesty, there is still time before the ball begins. Please, sit here.”

Shaking off his smoldering gaze, Larael hastily sat down on the sofa. When Edward immediately followed and sat right beside her, she shook her head firmly. As she did, her long hair swayed gently. The hairpins woven through her locks caught the parlor’s light, making it look as though her hair was dusted with brilliance.

“Your Majesty, I would prefer if you sat over there.”

She pointed to the seat across from her. She had to keep distance between them—not for herself, but to hold him back. In Edward’s presence, Larael sometimes felt a bitter sense of self-mockery. She hadn’t known she was such a person, so susceptible to desire and pleasure. If Edward could peer into her mind, she thought he might recoil in horror and flee.

“Here?”

Edward asked playfully as he sat down on the table in front of Larael, directly facing her. Taking the mask from her hands, he held it up to his face.

“The truth is, I’ve never attended the masquerade ball at the Founding Festival.”

“What??”

It was the first time Larael had ever heard such a thing.

“Hiding behind a mask, no one knows whether I attend or not, don’t you think?”

“But one can roughly tell who is who, can’t they? I imagine everyone must have been looking for Your Majesty……”

“Why would they look for me? What other reason is there to hide behind a mask? At least during times like these, people want to avoid the Emperor. I’m glad that at this Founding Festival’s masquerade, there’s at least one person who will look for me.”

Edward leaned down and lightly brushed the bridge of her nose with his finger. When Larael scrunched her nose, Edward mimicked her expression and laughed. He stopped smiling, then gazed into her eyes and spoke.

“Larael, once this Founding Festival ends, I will put the Empress investiture examination on the agenda of the Noble Council.”

Larael lowered her gaze. She had gained the courage to challenge the position of Empress, yet she still lacked confidence. She quietly met Edward’s calm eyes that were fixed on her. They were as cold as the wintry sea outside the window, but the emotions within them were warm. That warmth in Edward’s gaze was transmitted straight into Larael’s heart.

He was like a spring breeze in a world frozen solid. Larael hoped that he would melt her frozen world with his warmth alone.

‘Am I being too greedy after all?’

She gazed endlessly at the man who was beautiful like a painting. To stop here with him and become part of a picture forever didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

Edward had assumed Larael would clearly show her displeasure at his words. Yet when she only looked at him with wistful eyes, without a single word of protest, he felt strangely uneasy.

“Larael?”

“Yes?”

Her voice in answer to his call was so soft that Edward’s heart was put at ease.

“Your Majesty, it is time to head to the banquet hall.”

From outside the parlor, Trix informed Edward that the time had come.

“I’ll be right there.”

Edward rose from where he had been sitting on the table. Then he extended his hand toward Larael. She smiled and took his hand as she rose from the sofa.

“Larael, may I hold you once?”

Edward spread his arms and asked.

“Your Majesty, after the ball I will embrace you as much as you wish.”

Larael firmly rejected his request. Edward gazed at her with a look of regret. His yearning eyes and her resolute ones crossed in the air, and both Edward and Larael let out small laughs.

“Ah…… the mask.”

Larael turned back and glanced at the table.

“Larael, shall we not go?”

Larael wrinkled her nose and shook her head. She walked to the table, picked up her mask, then returned to Edward’s side and put it on.

Seeing her masked face, Edward began to laugh aloud.

“Do I look strange?”

At his laughter, Larael’s lips stiffened.

“No, not that. But what is the point of wearing a mask? It’s still just Larael herself.”

“Ah……”

Larael agreed with his words and let out a small sigh.