Chapter 72: The Victory Banquet

Edelweiss slowly awoke, feeling the morning sunlight streaming into the room.

Her mind still foggy, she sat up and looked beside her—

Damian was still fast asleep.

She watched him for a moment, quietly observing the rise and fall of his breath.

Just then, Charlotte’s crying pierced through the quiet, echoing from beyond the room.

Not wanting to wake Damian, Edelweiss carefully slipped out of bed.

She walked through the hallway; the crying grew louder as she approached.

Charlotte was curled up on the stairs, quietly sobbing.

“Shasha, what’s wrong?”

Worried, Edelweiss rushed to her side.

In Charlotte’s small hands lay a baby parrot.

Its body was limp and unmoving, completely still—

Unlike its usual energetic self.

“Sis, I woke up this morning and… Elba was like this.”

“……”

“Did Elba… die?”

Just yesterday, the baby parrot had seemed perfectly healthy.

Edelweiss couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

Charlotte’s tears fell—

Dripping onto the bird’s still body.

Suddenly, Charlotte stood up.

“I’m going to bury him at the palace. He liked playing in my garden… so I’ll bury him there…”

“Should I go with you?”

Charlotte weakly shook her head.

“I want to be alone with Elba. I’ll stay at the palace tonight.”

With slumped shoulders, she stepped out the front door.

When Edelweiss returned to the bedchamber, Damian was already awake.

Noticing the sadness in her face, he tilted his head slightly and asked,

“Did something happen?”

“A baby parrot suddenly died. Shasha was crying… she wanted to bury it in the palace garden, so she went alone. She said she’s staying at the palace tonight and won’t be coming back.”

Only then did Damian nod in understanding and open the window.

“I shouldn’t have given it to her,” Edelweiss murmured, joining him at the window, their gaze following the same point.

“She grew too attached to it.”

They watched as Princess Charlotte climbed weakly into the carriage.

Edelweiss bit her lip. She had given that parrot as a gift—

Which made the grief heavier.

“It’s just as well,” Damian said calmly. “With the banquet tonight, it’s better she’s at the palace than left here alone.”

He was right. At least the palace had her wet nurse and the familiar attendants of Calliope Palace.

Edelweiss let out a long sigh of mixed emotions.

***

Night fell, and the victory banquet began—held on a grand ship out at sea.

The deck of the massive vessel was decorated in lavish splendor.

Edelweiss stood beside Damian at one end of the deck, while nobles passed by to offer greetings.

Some congratulated them on their marriage.

“Congratulations, Your Highnesses. The ceremony was so beautiful—truly unforgettable.”

Damian didn’t respond, only giving a distant look.

Edelweiss smiled politely to spare the noble any awkwardness.

“Thank you for attending. I’m sorry I hadn’t greeted you earlier.”

“…You’re here,” Damian muttered under his breath.

The Emperor arrived, immediately drawing all eyes.

He approached Damian and placed a hand on his shoulder.

His eyes were cold, commanding.

“Damian. I’m proud of you.”

“……”

Damian gave only a short nod of acknowledgement. Edelweiss knew this was his version of respect.

The Emperor’s gaze shifted to her.

“Duchess.”

“Your Imperial Majesty, the radiant sun of Rejenoel,” she replied, offering a graceful curtsey.

“I was too occupied to attend your wedding. I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

“How could I be? I know how busy Your Majesty must be.”

The Emperor smiled—warmly, on the surface.

He looked at her briefly, then lost interest and turned away.

“In honor of their noble sacrifice—!”

He raised his glass.

Everyone clapped.

As expected, the Emperor called the navy’s casualties “noble sacrifices.”

Edelweiss could see Damian fighting to contain his emotions.

As the applause faded, her eyes quietly moved to the side—

There stood Rosemary, leaning on a cane, eyes fixed solely on Damian.

Her expression was breathless, overcome.

As though she too were a rightful part of this triumph.

As though she belonged at his side.

Edelweiss nearly scoffed aloud but held it in.

She walked up to Rosemary.

“Sis.”

“…Edel.”

Rosemary’s lips stiffened for a moment—then quickly softened.

“How are you feeling? I should’ve visited myself instead of just sending Anna, but things have been hectic. I’m sorry.”

Edelweiss stared at her stomach.

Rosemary instinctively placed her hand over it—

Almost as if to shield it.

“Didn’t you come with Prince Adolph?”

Naturally, Adolph—who had shirked his military duty—couldn’t attend a victory banquet.

“…He’s not exactly fit to attend something like this.”

“Still, you’re pregnant. Isn’t it awful of him to leave you alone at an event like this? Aren’t you upset, Sis?”

Edelweiss responded in a sympathetic tone, making it seem as though Rosemary hadn’t received proper care or attention from Adolph.

Rosemary’s hand trembled—clenching tightly.

She couldn’t stand being pitied.

“…Even if I am hurt, what can I do?”

She looked down at the sea below… then slowly stepped closer to the edge.

It was a dangerously precarious position.

One push from the opposite side, and she could fall right in.

“Sis, it’s dangerous there. Why don’t you step back a bit?”

“…Mmh, the breeze is nice. Edel, come over here too.”

Rosemary took Edelweiss’s wrist and pulled her closer.

Suddenly, she pretended to lose her cane and swayed backward as if off balance.

“!”

Edelweiss instinctively grabbed her wrist to keep her from falling.

The sudden shift in weight threw her off balance—her toes scraped the air.

Her body tilted forward—

And in an instant, she slipped past the edge of the deck.

“Kyaaahhh! Her Highness!”

“Your Highness!”

Shrill screams rang out—

Splash!

The dark sky and sea tangled wildly,

And the icy waters swallowed her whole.

In the moment of falling, Edelweiss was struck by a terrible flash of memory.

The day she was pushed over the railing by Rosemary.

The horror of falling from that balcony returned like a storm.

As her body sank, her heart pounded violently.

Her lungs ached—air cut off.

Cold water wrapped around her like chains.

Time seemed to freeze.

All sound disappeared—except for the muffled thump of her heartbeat.

Desperation overwhelmed her as her vision blurred.

She thrashed, but the deeper she sank, the heavier her limbs became—dragging her down.

Then—sharp pain burst in her abdomen.

Edelweiss clutched her stomach as agony twisted through her.

Blood spilled into the water, dark red unfurling like ink.

The waves clung to her ankles, sapping her strength.

The pressure of the sea, the chill, and the pain combined—she couldn’t breathe.

“Am I going to die again…?”

Her eyes began to close—her body sinking deeper.

Then—

A black shape cut through the surface, rushing toward her.

A hand gently cradled her cheek.

Lips touched hers, breathing air carefully into her lungs.

She clung to consciousness—

And through the blur, saw a pair of vivid blue eyes.

Damian.

Edelweiss wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him.

Damian held her tightly, kicking upward toward the surface.

As they broke through, water gushed out of her mouth as she coughed violently.

Her lungs burned.

Her body shivered from the cold—

But most of all, the pain in her stomach had worsened.

Her breathing was shallow—

And she couldn’t hold on any longer.

Damian’s voice kept calling her name—again and again.