Chapter 19: The Emperor’s Birthday Banquet (1)  

Chloe stepped out of the carriage, holding Tehis’s hand. Although she had come here once before to meet Helena, it had been exactly half a year since she last attended a banquet, and it felt nostalgic.  

“There are so many carriages waiting.”  

“Well, all the nobles of the empire are gathered here. If you consider the envoys sent by neighboring countries, I’m sure the banquet hall is packed.”  

“That’s information that makes me want to go home already.”  

Chloe responded as if she was already tired. Although she had prepared for this day with great effort, her personality hadn’t changed, and fatigue was already creeping in.  

‘What can I do, I just have to get through it.’  

Swallowing a sigh, she matched her steps with Tehis and walked toward the entrance. The absence of anyone walking around except for maids gave her an uneasy feeling.  

“We’re really late, aren’t we? Is this okay?”  

“The Emperor has always been itching to kill me anyway, so it’s not like it could get any worse. Besides, he won’t throw a tantrum openly at his own birthday banquet.”  

“You’ve already calculated everything, haven’t you?”  

“Of course, since I’m attending with you.”  

Chloe let out a small laugh. Even though he would have acted just as calculatedly without her, Tehis still knew how to say things that sounded nice.  

‘Honestly, he’s gotten better at talking.’  

Or maybe he had always been good at it?  

She let go of the thought, which didn’t really matter, and walked briskly. The man guarding the entrance to the banquet hall checked their identities and opened the door.  

“His Grace Grand Duke Escalante and Archmage Miss Chloe…!”  

“Wait.”  

Tehis cut off the announcement. Ignoring the guard, who froze in tension, he turned to Chloe, who shrugged her shoulders. Understanding that it was up to him, he spoke on her behalf.  

“Elder Mage.”  

“E-Elder…! I-I apologize!!”  

“Well, it’s understandable. It’s not like we’ve made such things public across the continent.”  

Chloe waved her hand dismissively at the man, who was bent over in apology.  

The man, pale and sweating nervously, glanced at the Grand Duke couple before quickly correcting his mistake.  

“His Grace Grand Duke Escalante and Elder Mage Miss Chloe are entering!!”  

His voice, now much louder, echoed throughout the banquet hall.  

The bustling hall grew quiet as murmurs filled the air. Even the musicians, who had been playing instruments, seemed to glance back, causing the music to falter momentarily before the conductor corrected it.  

The unprecedented appearance of an Elder Mage at an empire banquet piqued the interest of foreign envoys the most.  

Was Grand Duke Escalante always that handsome? Did he use magic to erase his scars? Is that beautiful woman really the Elder Mage? She must look young because she’s a mage, right?  

Amid countless gazes, Chloe and Tehis walked forward. Linking arms affectionately, they ignored the whispers and confidently approached the Emperor.  

It seemed to be the time for presenting gifts, as a long line had formed in front of him, but everyone stepped aside for them. Some stared at the couple in a daze and were nudged out of the way by others.  

At the end of their path, on the Emperor’s throne, sat Kiberun Harpeon.  

He resembled Kaishan, carried Helena’s coloring, and bore Chernin’s aura. To be more accurate, they all must have taken after the Emperor, but one thing was clear: they looked like family.  

Beneath his dazzling golden hair, his icy blue eyes stared at the two of them.  

“Grand Duke Escalante.”  

“Glory to the radiant sun of Superia. It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”  

Though their gazes at each other were cold, they at least maintained formalities in their greetings. In a public setting with foreign envoys present, it was only natural that they wouldn’t draw their swords outright.  

…Or so Chloe thought.  

“You’re late.”  

Wow. 

Chloe was impressed internally. From his very first words after receiving their greetings, it was clear he wasn’t holding back.  

‘Didn’t you say he wouldn’t throw a tantrum openly?’  

Unconsciously, Chloe glanced at Tehis. His calm voice, devoid of emotion, responded as if this wasn’t even worth being annoyed over.  

“I’m late.”  

“No excuses?”  

“I was spending personal, important time with my lady, so it couldn’t be helped.”  

Pfft—nearby, a noble spat out the drink they had been sipping.  

Who would have thought that Tehis Escalante, the Grand Duke, would make such an excuse? And to the Emperor, who openly disliked him, no less.  

In fact, it wasn’t even an excuse—it was so brazen that it came off more as flaunting his relationship with his lover. His unapologetic expression only added to the effect.  

The strange nuance left Chloe just as flustered, but she quickly composed herself. Before the Emperor, who was momentarily speechless, could recover and start criticizing, she stepped up and greeted him first.  

“Greetings to the ruler of Superia. I am Chloe, Elder Mage of the Mage Tower.”  

“…Welcome to the empire, Elder Mage Chloe.”  

She could sense the Emperor’s inner conflict. He had to show respect to a mage of the Mage Tower, but he couldn’t bring himself to address Tehis’s lover with the honorific “Miss.” In the end, he settled for a neutral title.  

‘At least he’s not completely rude.’  

Chloe had been worried he might act like Helena and start speaking informally right off the bat, but thankfully, he showed minimal courtesy. Since her goal was to make Tehis the center of attention, she needed to maintain some semblance of dignity herself.  

‘Well, considering the empire’s already on bad terms with the North, it’d be troublesome if the Elder Mage turned her back on them too.’  

Smiling brightly, Chloe leaned closer to Tehis’s arm. Thanks to his provocative excuse earlier, things had actually become easier.  

In other words, teasing the Emperor had just gotten a lot more fun.  

“As my darling said, it’s because of me that we arrived late. Will this cause you much trouble?”  

It wasn’t a lie. They were late because she had spent a long time with Lucas.  

The sound of nobles gasping for breath could be heard at her overly casual attitude toward the Emperor. While it was well known that mages were not bound by status or etiquette, they hadn’t expected such behavior even toward the Emperor.  

‘What are they going to do about it? Tell a mage to follow the Empire’s laws?’  

The Emperor must have known plenty about her. It would be strange if he didn’t, considering she had ties to not one but two members of the Imperial Family.  

As the youngest Elder Mage and the personal disciple of Mage Tower Master Isrion, there was no way the Emperor would get angry over something as trivial as tardiness or a lack of manners.  

Chloe’s prediction turned out to be perfectly accurate.  

“…Why would it trouble me? I am simply grateful that you came to my birthday banquet.”  

The Emperor ultimately refrained from rebuking her but twisted his words cleverly, omitting any mention of her connection to the Grand Duke and making it seem as though she had come purely to celebrate his birthday.  

‘I came to ruin the mood, though.’  

Instead of immediately refuting him, Chloe smiled brightly. Since she had prepared something for him, this natural flow of conversation was actually convenient.  

“I even prepared a small birthday gift. I hope it’s to your liking.”  

Hearing something unexpected, Tehis glanced at Chloe. Ignoring his gaze, she extended her hand, the one not linked with his arm.  

A glimmering spatial storage ring sparkled, and a necklace carved from a high-grade magic stone appeared in her delicate hand. It was something she had worked hard on for the past month, alongside the scar-removal potion.  

“There was an unpleasant incident at the last banquet, wasn’t there? This is a rescue artifact that can be used in case of danger. I put a lot of effort into it, so I hope you like it.”  

From behind, small gasps of admiration could be heard. While they didn’t know the exact effects of the item, the fact that it was personally crafted by an Elder Mage already made it incredibly valuable.  

And how beautiful and ornate it looked! If it were put up for auction, it would surely fetch thousands of gold coins.  

While the nobles marveled, a servant stepped forward to receive the necklace from Chloe’s hand and delivered it to the Emperor. Under the chandelier’s light, the necklace sparkled brilliantly.  

Naturally, the Emperor, who couldn’t simply accept a gift from the Grand Duke’s lover without suspicion, raised a question.  

“What effects does it have?”  

“It’s simple. If you find yourself in a situation you want to escape from, just break the clasp…”  

Would it teleport him to safety? Perhaps summon him to the Mage Tower?  

While most people shared similar thoughts, Chloe smiled sweetly and continued.  

“It will send a signal to me.”  

“…?”  

That’s it?  

Breaking through the strange silence, Chloe cheerfully explained further.  

“If I’m not busy on a date with my darling, I’ll teleport to your location and help you. I can track the necklace’s position, after all. I may not look it, but I’m an Elder Mage, so I should be able to help in some way.”  

At first glance, her words sounded reasonable, but they were riddled with loopholes.  

So she could track his location, wouldn’t come if she was with the Grand Duke, and ultimately, whether or not she helped was entirely up to her.  

‘In other words, I have to stay on her good side to use it. Otherwise, it’s just a pretty piece of trash.’  

With a flawless smile, Chloe drove the point home.  

“By the way, the materials were supplied by my wonderful darling. Since it’s a collaboration between Escalante and the Elder Mage, I hope you’ll accept it with joy.”  

At this point, even the Emperor was left speechless.  

He couldn’t reject an artifact personally crafted by a Mage Tower Elder Mage, especially one presented in front of foreign envoys. It was a perfect opportunity to showcase the empire’s relationship with the Mage Tower. Even if it was a trap, having the Elder Mage as a potential resource was a card worth holding onto.  

However, accepting it at face value left a bitter taste in his mouth.  

Kiberun clenched the necklace tightly in his hand. He suppressed the urge to throw it at Tehis, furious at the thought of being mocked like this. He wanted to recreate the scars that had disappeared but knew causing a scene here was impossible.  

Instead, he forced himself to move his heavy lips and slowly expressed his thanks.  

“A precious… gift indeed. I must be the only one to receive such congratulations from the Mage Tower’s Elder Mage. Now, go and enjoy the banquet at your leisure.”  

Not wanting to see them any longer, the Emperor effectively dismissed them. It was a calculated move—rather than hold onto someone he couldn’t touch for now, he decided to bide his time.  

Seeing through his intentions, Chloe smiled as she bowed and prepared to leave.  

But then she stopped.  

The arm linked with hers remained still as Tehis stood firmly, staring directly at the Emperor.  

“Your Majesty.”