Chapter 54

“……”

Alec remained silent for a moment, looking down into my eyes. Then, as if understanding my intentions, he carefully raised his hand to my face.

He slowly removed my mask, and I did the same for him.

His face, long hidden, was revealed in full glory. While I thought he looked handsome with the mask on, he was even more striking without it.

As I marveled at his face, gasps of surprise echoed around us.

“Oh my goodness.”

“It really is the Duke of Brent!”

“He spoke so well earlier, too.”

“How is this possible…?”

People looked at Alec in disbelief.

It made sense. Aside from his face and physique being the same, everything else had changed.

His once hesitant posture was now natural and commanding, as if he didn’t care about the world’s opinions. And his dancing… It was so skillful that it overshadowed all the splendor around him.

No one in this social circle had ever handled a partner with such perfection and mastery as Alec did tonight.

As the crowd was struck with shock, Julia raised her chin triumphantly.

“See? I told you I was right!”

But Julia seemed to misread the room.

People were covering their mouths in awe without even realizing it.

“The Duke of Brent is so impressive.”

“How did we not notice before?”

“This is incredible…”

Many were already captivated by the fallen Duke and Duchess.

I couldn’t help but let my lips curl into a smooth smile.

To receive such a splendid reaction, this alone made attending the ball more than worth it.

Julia bit her lip hard.

I looked her in the eyes and, with a flourish, slipped my hand inside Alec’s jacket.

I quickly pulled out the invitation I had placed in his inner pocket.

Then, I flicked the invitation toward Julia.

The invitation floated gracefully through the air before landing softly on the floor.

“You say we weren’t invited?”

“……”

“We came because we were invited. If you’re curious, bend down and pick it up, Julia.”

“……”

Julia glared at me with a murderous look, clenching her fists. She spat out her words with venom.

“Pick it up, Scarlett.”

Scarlett, whose name was called, glared at me with disgust.

“Hurry up!”

Startled by Julia’s repeated urging, Scarlett approached and bent down to pick up the invitation.

The invitation contained words that would undoubtedly make Julia’s attendants, including Scarlett, suspicious.

They had likely invited me to the ball, hoping to use me to their advantage, but they were mistaken.

I intended to rise above them.

Although our common goal was to bring down Julia, I had no intention of associating with them.

In any case, tonight’s ball was undoubtedly the best I had ever attended.

***

The palace of the Rilt Empire had transformed beyond recognition in the four years since it changed hands.

The old, dilapidated palace had been demolished and replaced with a new, opulent one, elevating the imperial dignity to unprecedented heights.

This was all due to Aksen, who believed that anything bearing his name should be beyond reproach in the empire.

For him, exploiting the people wasn’t a significant concern. The people existed for the emperor.

Now, there was only one thing left to replace in the palace to match the emperor’s stature.

“Did you hear, Your Majesty?”

The Empress sat at the far end of the long table, handling her cutlery with impeccable grace.

She was said to be a woman born to be Empress, so disciplined and reserved that even when chewing food, her jaw movements were minimal, making it appear as if she was barely eating.

Her every action was devoid of warmth, meticulously controlled.

Olivia Garcia.

Her father, Duke Brody Garcia, had leveraged her into becoming Empress to align himself with Aksen’s power.

Brody had faithfully served as Aksen’s loyal hound, eliminating anyone who sensed Aksen’s rebellion when he was just a prince.

Even after Aksen ascended to the throne, Brody continued to strengthen his power without hesitation, proving his unwavering loyalty.

However, as time passed and the Rilt Empire’s status grew, Aksen began to find the Empress increasingly distasteful.

Olivia was a woman born out of her father’s ambition for power.

Initially, Aksen didn’t find her lacking, but the more he saw her, the less satisfied he became.

Shouldn’t the Empress be more noble and detached from power?

She needed to have the spirit to look straight into his eyes, even before the emperor himself.

Only such a woman could be his Empress, bearing the future heirs.

Indeed, Aksen’s plan was already in motion.

He knew of only one woman worthy of the Empress’s position and intended to claim her as the emperor.

“Interesting news?”

Thinking that, Aksen lifted his silver goblet. He responded to Olivia’s words with a bored look.

Olivia gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile in response to his interest.

“Well, it seems the Duke and Duchess of Brent have appeared in high society.”

“…?”

Aksen’s eyebrows furrowed as if he’d heard something unbelievable.

It was as unlikely as hearing that Prince Ridit had suddenly appeared to reclaim the throne.

This was because the former Duke and Duchess of Brent were no longer in a position to appear in high society.

Not long ago, he had heard that Alec had attempted to poison himself. And now, high society?

Aksen set down his goblet and spoke coldly.

“That is indeed an interesting piece of news.”

“The interesting part hasn’t even started yet.”

“Was there more?”

“Marquis Marcel Howard reportedly ran into the former Duke of Brent by chance. But…”

The Empress trailed off in the middle of her sentence, clearly trying to pique his interest.

Lately, the Empress had been trying unusually hard to catch his attention due to the issue of succession.

“It would be best to speak while I’m listening.”

With that, Aksen abruptly tilted his head back and emptied his goblet.

It was a strong red liquor, but even this couldn’t set his heart aflame.

These days, he needs something stronger, something more intense.

Hunting and slaughter had long since lost their excitement.

The Empress once again opened her lips with an elegant smile.

“Well, the Marquis and his companions were reportedly beaten up by the former Duke of Brent.”

“What?”

For the first time since the meal had started, Aksen looked at Olivia.

Olivia’s presence had been so erased from Aksen’s mind that he hadn’t even felt the need to look at her.

Olivia had long known that Aksen’s heart was not with her.

No, Aksen had never been interested in her from the start.

But Olivia had to bear Aksen’s heir. If not, her position as Empress and the security of her family would be in jeopardy.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Aksen had never sought out another woman during their marriage.

It was out of his determination not to create an heir recklessly.

Olivia gave a slightly sad smile as she watched Aksen finally look at her.

“At first, I couldn’t believe it either. It’s hard to imagine the former Duke of Brent assaulting someone.”

“So you’re saying I should believe this now?”

“Of course, I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but Julia wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Hah.”

Aksen adjusted his slouched posture and let out a short laugh.

‘That guy hit someone?’

He thought he’d heard everything in his life.

Had Alec gone mad after losing his status and all his wealth, and even attempting suicide?

Aksen knew Alec better than anyone.

Alec was not the type to hit someone. He couldn’t even stand to see others in pain.

Taking someone close to Alec hostage was the easiest way to control him.

That’s why Aksen found it even more frustrating.

Why did Alec only endure? Aksen was driven mad with the desire to crush everyone who looked down on him, so why couldn’t Alec do the same?

Despite being the descendant of a paladin family, Alec had always acted like a pure and overly kind paladin, which had annoyed Aksen since childhood.

However, there had been a time when Alec, instead of begging, “It’s my fault,” had said, “Just kill me,” in fury towards him.

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