Chapter 68
I smiled at the swarthy potato.
“Ah. Corporal Marco. I’ve heard the name before. Pleased to meet you.”
“Haha! Of course you have. If you had pretended not to know me, young lady, you would’ve seen quite a sight. I may not look it, but I’ve got a very vicious side.”
‘Yeah. Sure. You look the part.’
Like a potato swollen with poison.
Feigning friendliness, I reached out as if to pluck a loose thread from the medal on his chest. Strictly speaking, I was pretending to — I just needed to confirm the identity inscribed on the medal.
‘A Class C Transcendent… What? That’s better than I thought. That means he’s among the top ten Transcendents in the Barceha Empire. Then why’s he only a corporal?’
At that moment, a deafening crash! rang out. I turned my head to see the Crown Prince’s glass shattered in his hand.
“Sorry for the disturbance. I misjudged my strength.”
Blood was dripping freely from his hand.
The sound was so loud and sharp that even the orchestra playing the dance music froze mid-note, all staring at Johann in shock.
It was common knowledge that Transcendents, brimming with power, sometimes made such mistakes. Everyone knew that. But Johann — always so composed and dignified — had never been seen like this before, and that’s why they were all so startled.
“Play the dance again.”
Johann ordered calmly. The guests, reassured by his graceful demeanor, were ready to overlook it. But the chief chamberlain panicked.
“This can’t be a mistake in controlling strength, Your Highness! Though it looks like glass, that cup was specially made of mana stone for you! We must summon your physician immediately—!”
“No need for a doctor… Just resume the music. The sooner it starts, the sooner this ends, doesn’t it?”
“But Your Highness, your hand is covered in blood!”
“Music. Now!”
Somehow, Johann looked furious.
‘The knight of knights, the gentleman of gentlemen Johann — I’ve never seen him act like a tyrant before.’
Well… the Emperor did go too far today. He really should know better than to exploit his son politically like that.
Sensing the calm before a storm, I quickly linked arms with Corporal Marco and led him toward the wall farthest from the royal family’s seats.
Just in case Johann’s anger happened to spark my way.
“I’m curious, Corporal Marco. What exactly is this vicious side of yours?”
He wasn’t worth the courtesy, but there were plenty of ears listening around us.
I’d attended plenty of these banquets, but this was the first time anyone had seen me converse with a male guest. Naturally, everyone was curious.
‘No need to damage my reputation further by speaking rudely here.’
A decorated soldier represented merit to the Empire. He was technically beneath me in status, but in gatherings like this, the unspoken rule was to address them with polite speech.
Hearing me use honorifics, Marco puffed up with pride, his chest swelling, making him look even more like an eyesore of a potato.
“Well now. Suppose I told the Count that you secretly visited the Detention District?”
“…”
“As the Count’s right-hand man, it’s my duty to report that the young lady visited the Detention District on the final day of Foundation Festival.”
“And?”
“And I neglected that duty — for your sake. Imagine how hurt I’d feel if you failed to appreciate that? I can’t torment you the way the Fenril clan kids do, after all.”
What a bastard. This was our first actual conversation, and he dared spout nonsense about doing it for my sake… when it was nothing but blackmail.
The Empire supposedly held merit in the highest regard, yet they pinned a medal — the Emperor’s highest commendation, no less — on this scum? What a joke of a country.
Just then, the orchestra’s piece came to an end. The background sound faded away.
‘Trouble. I can’t just cut the conversation off, but I also can’t continue this line of talk out loud…’
It was the kind of subject that couldn’t risk being overheard.
“Lady Odette, will you honor me with a dance?”
Conveniently, the potato asked me to dance.
“And if I refuse?”
Dropping my playful smile, I asked seriously.
Marco only seemed more delighted, stepping closer with a face full of glee, as if my seriousness entertained him. Then he leaned in, whispering where no one else could hear.
“I told you I kept quiet about your little escapade, didn’t I? That means I have a fair idea of how you’re treated in the Count’s household.”
“Go on.”
“If you don’t dance with me, don’t you think my tongue might grow terribly loose in front of the Count?”
“Oh my, how frightening.”
I spoke in a tone that said I wasn’t frightened at all. Marco, irritated, pressed his lips even closer to my ear.
“Are you sure the Fenril children really are buried in the graves within the Detention Zone? You’d better stop me from reporting otherwise to the Count.”
‘Well, well. So he knows how to threaten.’
The more vile the scum, the more interesting it gets.
“All right… Fine. Let’s dance.”
Beaming, I took the potato’s hand and glided onto the dance floor.
The tune was a waltz — perfect for speaking privately while pressed close together.
‘How do I lure this bastard out to the terrace?’
His clammy hand was no different from Fernan’s, which told me clearly what sort of feelings he harbored toward me.
Base. Disgusting. Violent desire.
As the gentlemen bowed to begin, I gathered my skirt lightly to return the courtesy.
All around, dozens of couples moved to clasp hands with their partners.
But suddenly — snap! — the music broke off. Everyone, myself included, turned toward the orchestra.
Johann stood there, baton snapped in half.
“Excuse me. I disliked the selection.”
His expression was fiercer, more tyrannical, than before.
‘And why does it feel like… he’s glaring at me?’
Did I earlier ask him to notice my dress? I take it back. My instincts screamed: If I cross him tonight, I’m finished.
The hall, frozen in chilling silence, slowly began to buzz with murmurs.
“Choose something less bothersome.”
At his command, the conductor frantically shuffled through scores and switched to a quadrille instead of a waltz.
‘He is royalty, and therefore technically the host of this banquet. So changing the music isn’t wrong, but… unexpected.’
Johann was known for respecting rules and for his gentle nature. To reject a piece he disliked in such a crude way — even the current Emperor wouldn’t have done that.
I wasn’t the only one surprised. The Emperor himself looked quite unsettled, as did the other guests.
Couples awkwardly switched to quadrille steps as the new tune played.
‘So much for private talk.’
A quadrille was mostly group formations, even if you had a partner — no chance of whispering secrets.
As I moved through the quadrille steps, all I could think was how nothing was going right today.
“We still have things to discuss. Shall we step out to the terrace?”
When the piece ended, Corporal Marco leaned close, smugness written all over his face.
He was drunk on the fact that he had danced with the proud Lady Odette.
“Fine.”
I had been wondering how to drag him out there anyway. His offering to go himself almost made me tearfully grateful.
‘The terrace is the perfect place for a private talk. And if it comes to it—’
But then, Johann’s voice, amplified through a magic device, rang across the dance floor.
