Chapter 18

No, I came because I was told to come.

As Kanna’s expression subtly turned insolent, the Emperor, perhaps aware of the nobles observing the scene, quietly widened his eyes in warning.

It was a clear message for her to leave without saying another word, and Kanna turned away without hesitation.

To be honest, she was starting to feel a strange sense of camaraderie with the Emperor, who openly disliked her.

Compared to the insidious approaches masked by false goodwill, this was almost refreshing.

As Kanna strode past the Emperor’s seat on the podium, her path was suddenly blocked by the hurried steps of a servant.

“Miss K-Kanna, my lady! This is not the way.”

Kanna was slightly taken aback.

When she glanced around the banquet hall, her eyes met those of the nobles.

They didn’t even bother to hide the fact that they had been watching her.

Could it be that they wanted me to mingle among those nobles?

Whenever Kanna attended banquets, she had always spent her time seated shoulder-to-shoulder with the Emperor at the same high table.

Known for her cold demeanor and silence, people had stopped approaching her entirely about two hundred years ago.

That is, until “someone” suddenly proposed to her out of nowhere.

But now, even that was not allowed.

“Then where should I go?”

“This way, to the inner chamber.”

“Why there…?”

“You need to speak with the young ones.”

The young ones?

The servant’s face, meeting Kanna’s expression of confusion and bewilderment, began to mirror her own.

Moments later, Kanna found herself stepping into the inner chamber.

As the door opened, a warm breeze brushed against her face.

The inner chamber was smaller than the main banquet hall, but it was equipped with a well-appointed salon, a spacious terrace, cozy sofas, and trays piled high with desserts—a party venue in its own right.

The people inside didn’t even seem to notice someone had entered.

The older youths, who were tall enough to tower over others by two heads, sat together, chatting in boredom, while some appeared to be playing poker.

On the other hand, the younger noble children, who still had chubby cheeks, clung to the adults accompanying them. Every time they tried to do something, they were scolded not to, struggling to adapt to the unfamiliar banquet.

Kanna stood awkwardly at the entrance, hearing the sound of the door closing behind her.

This was the first time in her life she had seen such a scene.

Of course, there were also adults present, likely assigned by each family to supervise the children. Perhaps they had been briefed in advance, as they all approached Kanna to speak.

“It’s an honor to meet you for the first time, Lady Kanna. I am from the Viscount Burmador family, and this here is the second son of the Burmador family… Young Master!”

The servant from the Burmador family shouted after the young master, who slipped through his legs and ran off.

The servant flailed his arms, chasing after the boy.

Taking advantage of the moment, another person stepped forward to stand before Kanna.

“How could someone be so beautiful and elegant? Greetings to the young Lady Riventi. I am… My lady!”

Perhaps the child had been forcibly dragged away from playing, as the girl, dressed adorably, giggled and ran off toward the terrace.

“Pardon my rudeness. Our young lady isn’t usually like this; she’s always so composed and well-mannered…”

“Our young master was so taken by your beauty, Lady Kanna, that he… Well, he’s usually quite shy—.”

“Do you see the blonde-haired young man over there? He’s calm and composed, just like you, Lady Kanna, so I think you’d get along well. His name is Yuel Valantie…”

“No, rather, our young lady is lively and kind, so she’d be perfect—. My lady! Don’t pull the tray! I’ll get you a cookie!”

“Let me just say this: there’s no one more handsome than our young master…”

Kanna, half-listening, climbed onto a nearby cozy sofa and sat down.

But even then, the servants, as if carrying the rise and fall of their families on their shoulders, persistently followed her.

“Please meet our young lady just once—you won’t regret it—.”

“Do you have a favorite dessert? If you visit the Ripen estate, we’ll prepare anything…”

“Please remember this: the girl with the short navy-blue hair—her name is Keshia Rillo!”

“Meia Fallick!”

“Romanoch!”

“The one who slipped through my legs earlier—that was our young master! You saw him, didn’t you?”

Kanna thought they would naturally disperse if she continued to ignore them.

Though her ears might ache until then.

Still, when she was Kanis, no one had dared to approach her so blatantly. Now, surrounded by people three times her size, all chattering around her, she felt utterly drained.

Just as Kanna was about to scatter her senses and lose herself in idle thoughts, Sylan appeared, pushing through the fervent admirers to stand between them.

In the awkward and hesitant silence, Sylan curved a smooth smile on her lips.

“Lady Kanna dislikes noise. She finds it even more unpleasant when someone she’s uninterested in speaks to her.”

“…”

“I understand your efforts to leave an impression, but are you willing to let it be a negative one?”

The crowd voluntarily took a step back.

Kanna looked up at Sylan, who stood firmly as if guarding her.

She had known she was nearby, but she hadn’t expected her to intervene like this.

Sylan’s voice, directed at the others, was cold.

“So, please leave and wait elsewhere. Until Lady Kanna calls for you.”

The servants slowly began to bow to Kanna and dispersed.

Yet, their low whispers reached Kanna’s ears.

“What’s with her?”

“That’s Sylan, right?”

“Yes, the one with the blonde hair.”

“Oh, the one who cut ties with their family?”

“Hmph…”

“Ridiculous.”

“They said she entered the palace…”

Sylan tilted her head toward Kanna, as though she hadn’t heard a word of the murmurs.

“Are you thirsty? Should I bring you some water?”

At those words, Kanna suddenly felt an overwhelming thirst.

She nodded, and Sylan immediately left, as if she had been waiting for her response.

Thanks to Sylan’s warning, no one dared approach her recklessly, even though she was left alone.

Relieved, Kanna let out a deep sigh and leaned comfortably against the back of the sofa.

It was then that a blonde-haired boy suddenly appeared and thrust his face right in front of hers.

He was so close that it was impossible to avoid his gaze.

“You’re so damn pretty.”

“…”

“Do you have a lover?”

Faced with the provocative question from someone not yet ten years old—making him about three hundred years her junior—Kanna managed to respond after a long pause.

“No, I don’t.”

“Then will you be my lover?”

At that moment, as if by a miracle, someone appeared and smacked the boy on the back of his head.

“You’re rather pretty, aren’t you?”

“…”

“I heard your mother is the Master of the Mage Tower. Is your father really His Highness the Crown Prince? If so, why hasn’t it been officially announced?”

“…”

“Hmm, does it bother you that I’m speaking informally?”

A girl with delicate green hair, her small nose not yet fully grown, tilted her head up and spoke.

“The Master of the Mage Tower comes from a lowly background, doesn’t she? Since you’re the child of a commoner, I suppose it’s fine for me to speak informally.”

Would maintaining such a posture from a young age actually help her nose grow taller?

Kanna couldn’t stop a trivial question from momentarily crossing her mind.

The girl approached with a natural and composed demeanor, casually taking the seat beside Kanna.

The boy, who had just been struck on the back of his head, showed no signs of surprise or indignation. Instead, he stood beside the girl as if it were the most natural thing to do.

For some reason, the sight felt oddly familiar.

“Anyway. You suddenly gained a noble lineage and a young, handsome father. Did you even have time to care about such things?”

“…”

“But do you know this? They say mages smell rotten.”

This was one of the many rumors that had persisted about mages for over three hundred years.

It likely stemmed from the origins of mages themselves.

Though, it was the first time anyone had dared to say such a thing in front of Kanis.

“You don’t smell rotten, thankfully.”

The girl crossed her arms arrogantly and glanced at Kanna.

For some reason, her cheeks were slightly flushed as she continued to chatter without pause.

“I hate filth and anything unclean. I’m naturally tidy, you see.”

“I see.”

“When I was younger, I would have seizures and cry if a mage even came close to me. That’s proof.”

“Hmm.”

“Considering someone like me is sitting next to you, you should feel a bit more grateful.”

“Oh.”

“By the way, where is His Highness the Crown Prince?”

The girl’s eyes met Kanna’s.

“Didn’t you know? This banquet is meant for children to attend with their parents. No one comes alone.”

The girl carefully observed Kanna’s face before breaking into a mischievous smile.

“So, you must be an ‘abandoned child,’ huh? Someone who’s been ‘neglected,’ right?”

Kanna wondered who on earth could have uttered such words in front of this girl.

“Have you ever had a meal with His Highness the Crown Prince?”