12

The banquet ended. Amelia, left alone, swirled a wine glass filled with red wine. Staring at the wine slowly flowing down the glass, Amelia bit her lip and threw the glass away.

A sharp shattering sound echoed. Amelia, who abruptly stood up from the table, exhaled roughly.

「Did you see Young Master Renigrad just reject Lady Leverun and leave? Being rejected for a snow rabbit, how will she show her face in public?」

「By the way, Lady Amelia, did you know? That the rivac wine Lord Cedric exclusively drank is Lady Ronia’s favorite wine.」

「He rejected the cufflinks, saying he doesn’t accept imitations. I wonder who the imitation is.」

“You dare mock me, a mere branch family living off my father’s name?”

Though the banquet had many nobles close to Leverun, there were also many who desperately wanted to devour the family.

She wanted to show them her close relationship with Young Master Renigrad and put them in their place! Instead, she became a laughingstock because of Cedric’s cold departure.

Amelia grabbed an entire wine bottle next to her and threw it. Seeing the wine bottle shatter into pieces, the maid shrank her shoulders.

“What!”

Amelia shouted irritably while breathing heavily.

Amelia’s eyes gleamed fiercely as she headed to the garden. She didn’t want to stay in the banquet hall any longer.

She hated the messily scattered glasses, empty seats, and the strange smell of powder lingering in the air. It was empty.

Amelia kept holding banquets one after another, filling them with bustling people to avoid the silence that settled in the splendid banquet hall, but in the end, when the banquet ended, no one remained by her side.

Once again today, her parents who promised they would come didn’t show up, the Marchioness promptly took the necklace and left, and Cedric coldly abandoned her.

‘Father, you said everything would be fine if I just listened to you! Amelia who is kind and beautiful to everyone, Amelia who will be the flower of the social world, Amelia the good daughter who won’t bring shame! You said everything would be fine if I was just that!’

Amelia picked up a stone with venomous eyes and threw it into the garden pond. Still not satisfied, she was about to pick up another stone when a familiar voice was heard.

“Amelia, I’ve been waiting.”

“Kale, why are you still here?”

“Because I knew you’d come here. When banquets end, you always sit here blankly.”

Kale held out a bouquet of flowers he had picked. Amelia irritably swatted the bouquet away.

“After you said you’ll prove yourself, you showed that pathetic display? Do you know what happened at the banquet hall today?”

I know. Kale had heard the nobles gossiping as they left the mansion.

“Cedric abandoned you. He rejected the cufflinks and left you behind despite your desperate calls. I would never do that to you, Amelia.”

“You disappointed me!”

“That will all be resolved if I just catch the Second Prince’s eye this time. Once the business succeeds, I’ll bring that Cedric to his knees.”

A mocking laugh escaped Amelia’s lips. But her face contorted at Kale’s following words.

“You know too, don’t you? Cedric doesn’t love you.”

Kale embraced Amelia’s waist.

“I’m the one who loves you. I’m the one by your side. The one who can make you forget this miserable feeling.”

Kale kissed her. Her fingertips trembled at the pleasure her body already remembered. Kale knew Amelia’s weaknesses all too well. Right after a banquet ended, when emptiness and loneliness overwhelmed her.

When she felt that any warmth would do to satisfy this hunger.

Kale knew this all too well. The Young Master of the Renigrad Grand Ducal family might be an excellent man, but that cold, arrogant man would never make Amelia feel this way.

Not like Kale, who soaked Amelia in pleasure until she couldn’t think at all.

Why couldn’t she have both? What’s there to worry about? If both are tempting and you can’t choose, just take them all. Right, Father? That’s what you always did.

A heated gasp escaped through Amelia’s raised red lips.

The increasingly intense pleasure overturned her thoughts. To make her unable to think of anything. Only moist breaths filled with pleasure circled the garden.

* * *

Under the splendid chandelier, nobles gathered from all over the Empire clinked glasses and laughed.

Nominally, it was an imperial banquet held to celebrate the Second Prince’s inauguration, but all the high nobles knew.

That the Second Prince, who directly met the nobles here, would choose a family to work with on a business project with substantial imperial support.

‘It means His Majesty the Emperor has already begun training the Second Prince as his successor. He’ll naturally form connections with the nobles.’

The Duke of Ronia leisurely tilted his glass. Though he suffered mild burns because of Arne, fortunately, he had ground laccarine herbs and gifted them to the Second Prince just in time.

‘When he meets me at today’s banquet, he’ll greatly commend me. It’s only a matter of time before he chooses the Ronia ducal family.’

Like the Duke, both the Duchess and Bianca wore satisfied smiles. Despite her rebelliousness, Arne had finally shut herself in her room this morning, not knowing what to do without clothes to wear.

‘Arne, no matter how much you try to challenge me, what can you do in the social world? You won’t even have a salon that would permit your infamy.’

The Duchess raised her fan and moved on. She planned to spread and solidify the engagement rumors between Arne and Kale. Just then, she spotted the gossipy Countess Avian.

“It’s been a while, Countess Avian.”

“It has been a while. By the way, Duchess, that rumor is true, isn’t it? I heard Lady Ronia wants to break off the engagement because you forcefully announced it. Is that why neither Lady Ronia nor Lord Wayne could be seen until now?”

“What are you saying……”

“The rumor is already widespread. Even the servants are whispering about it. That rumor is the hottest topic right now.”

Just as the Duchess’s brow furrowed at Countess Avian’s words, the hall stirred.

“Oh my, I thought she wasn’t coming, but she did, Lady Ronia.”

“Arne?”

She should have only had black dresses. The Duchess’s eyes widened at Arne’s dignified dress.

Moreover, Arne, who shouldn’t know any ladies, was greeting Patricia, a social butterfly.

“Patricia, that peridot necklace really suits you well.”

“Thanks to you. Ah, I mentioned it before, right? This is Lady Ronia.”

Arne exchanged greetings gracefully. When she raised her head, her eyes met with the Duchess, who was staring at her in disbelief. Arne smiled leisurely at the Duchess.

‘It seems you never imagined me like this.’

She had left all her dresses and accessories at the boutique in case Bianca would cause trouble again.

Though she arrived late because of it, it was a win-win situation as it made the rumors she had spread seem true.

As Arne moved along, greeting ladies she had met at the boutique, the Duchess’s head turned to follow her path.

‘Impossible. How did Arne get to know all of them?’

Moreover, Arne’s final steps stopped in front of the First Princess, Eloise.

“I greet the First Princess. I am Raniarne Freya de Ronia.”

“You’re Lady Ronia.”

Princess Eloise replied with curiosity. Originally, Arne and Eloise were people who would never meet each other. One who couldn’t even enter the social world and one who reigned at its peak.

All eyes immediately turned to Arne.

“It’s an honor to meet the First Princess. I still remember the emotion from your speech at the late Empress’s funeral. The princess who spoke of love and devotion to the Empire that day.”

“……”

“I’ve wanted to talk with the princess if I ever had the chance, so I’m very happy to meet you like this.”

“I see.”

Though curiosity settled in the princess’s eyes, that was all. Associating with the infamous lady was too risky. The princess quickly continued her conversation with another lady who approached her.

Arne also retreated willingly, as her purpose was merely to make an acquaintance.

‘I wish I had the five-colored tiara. I’ll meet the princess again soon, but it’s still a shame. After all, the princess’s cooperation is important for my business to succeed smoothly.’

As Arne turned around, her eyes met the Duchess’s.

The Duchess, who had been watching tensely, burst into laughter. As if Arne could do anything to the princess who even she found intimidating.

Just then, the hall stirred again. It was because Cedric had entered in uniform. Since this was Liam’s first official imperial banquet as the Second Prince, the Emperor had specifically mentioned maintaining formality, creating a strange tension.

“Isn’t that Lord Cedric?”

“I heard he just returned from a sudden monster subjugation alone, so he just arrived. That’s why Lady Leverun entered with Marquis Leverun’s escort.”

“I see. So that’s why he’s in uniform.”

Though it was natural etiquette to dress formally at an imperial banquet, no one dared to comment on Cedric’s attire when he had just returned from a subjugation for the Empire.

It was only possible for Cedric of Renigrad, the war hero.

Arne’s gaze unknowingly turned toward Cedric, who was already surrounded by people. When their eyes met as he turned his head, sensing her gaze, Arne quickly looked away.

‘Ah, I don’t need to be this startled.’

Was it because she had fled from the boutique knowing Cedric would be waiting? She found it strangely difficult to meet his eyes.

Just then, an attendant approached Arne.

“Someone is looking for you, Lady Ronia.”

“For me?”

No matter how much she thought about it, there was no one who would urgently call for her. Could something have happened to Duke Xenon? Arne hurriedly moved.

* * *