~Chapter 11~
A middle-aged man wearing the emperor’s crown entered the banquet hall, followed by a young man dressed similarly.
That young man was Haid Axel Vesseris—an idol-like handsome guy with lemon-blonde hair and deep green eyes.
He was the crown prince of the Diorneta Empire, the male protagonist of this world.
And following right behind the emperor and crown prince was the female protagonist, Larienne Torned.
Her silver hair sparkled, and her pure blue eyes matched the novel’s description perfectly.
Wow… I’m seeing them in person.
I’d cried like a dramatic heroine in the streets over these two several times.
My inner closeness bubbled up, wanting to run over and greet them.
But whether I stared at them nostalgically or not, the emperor took the stage and spoke.
“You all probably already know, but I’ve called this gathering to share good news. Crown Prince Haid will be engaged to Lady Larienne Torned.”
The emperor finished and laughed heartily.
It made sense—finally allying with the Tonned family, who had once led the anti-emperor faction, must feel good.
Once the imperial family and Torned family were tied by marriage, the political tension would stabilize.
Everyone congratulated the crown prince and the Tonned family.
Everyone looked happy… except the two being sacrificed in this political marriage.
Oh wait—there was one more person unhappy with Haid and Larienne’s engagement.
A woman pushed through the nobles and confronted the emperor sharply.
“Your Majesty, have you forgotten your promise to me?”
Red hair, black eyes—a fierce, cat-like beauty.
Wait… that’s Cheryl.
The emperor frowned slightly but replied coolly,
“Countess Sidonia, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Yes, it was Cheryl Sidonia.
Why is she appearing already?
In the novel, the scene with villainess Cheryl Sidonia arguing with the emperor comes much later.
The appearance of the gate a week ago threw off the first scene, and now the story is moving fast.
I tensed up, knowing I had to protect the original flow of events for the world’s stability.
Cheryl narrowed her eyes and demanded,
“Didn’t you promise to make me crown princess?”
“When did I ever promise? I only said I would consider it.”
The emperor’s response was indifferent again.
While the nobles watched nervously, Cheryl glared at the emperor as if shooting arrows and spoke again,
“Fine. I’ll give up marrying the crown prince. But at least give me back what’s mine.”
“Countess Sidonia, you dare covet what belongs to the emperor? Let go of your attachment.”
“That is not yours, it belongs to Sidonia.”
“It was, until your father offered it to me.”
The emperor smirked mockingly.
Reading the novel, I thought he was just an obnoxious male lead’s dad—but seeing him in person, he was a truly unpleasant villain.
That smug expression must be deliberate.
For someone his age, acting like that toward someone his daughter’s age… unbelievable.
The “thing” Cheryl demanded was a treasured heirloom from the Sidonia family, once a duke’s family until about ten years ago.
Sidonia was also one of the heroes who founded the Diorneta Empire long ago.
Vesseris wielded the sword, Torned was a healer, Sidonia a mage, and Amsferow a messenger.
Together, they built the empire.
Vesseris became emperor, and the others dukes.
It could have been a happily-ever-after with the four of them—but the Vesseris family eventually started checking the others.
The Amsferow family was wiped out, and Cheryl’s father gave up the heirloom and dukedom to survive.
Thus, Countess Sidonia Cheryl was determined to marry the crown prince to reclaim her family’s treasure.
Meanwhile, the Tonned family, feeling threatened, reconciled with the emperor through the engagement of Haid and Larienne—the setup for the novel’s story.
Cheryl glared at the emperor, pale-faced, then turned and stormed out of the hall.
The emperor scoffed at her and shouted to the band,
“Play music! Let the banquet begin!”
Soon, lively dance music filled the hall, and nobles paired up cautiously, mindful of the emperor.
Cheryl, who had tried so hard to become crown princess by breaking up Haid and Larienne, wasn’t a character I particularly liked.
But seeing her pitiful exit… I felt more sympathy than hatred.
Watching the entrance where she had disappeared, I shook my head and sighed.
“Why am I worrying about villainess?”
I had other things to worry about.
The events were slightly off from the original story—was that okay?
Himong had said the main events just needed to follow the original plot, so it should be fine.
Anyway, the two most important opening events of the novel had now happened.
As a background character, there was nothing I could do but hope everything flowed safely until the end.
I searched the hall for Linus among the dancing and singing nobles.
He had been standing like a statue earlier, but now he was gone.
Larienne and Haid were also nowhere to be seen, so I quietly left the hall.
I headed to the Butterfly Garden to find Linus.
***
The sunset bathed the flower bushes in soft light.
The garden looked even more beautiful than during the day, and I understood why Larienne and Haid secretly met here.
I walked toward the inner part of the garden where I first ran into Linus.
I hadn’t planned to meet him there, but somehow I just felt he’d be there.
“Airevet.”
Of course.
Linus, like a puppy waiting for his master, stood there and approached when he saw me.
He smiled so brightly it was like his tail might wag, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“You’re here.”
“I’ve been waiting.”
Seeing his sweet smile that could melt anyone’s heart, I remembered Rene’s scary warning about rumors of him killing someone.
Surely those were just made-up stories, right?
Someone who looks this gentle and smiles like that can’t be a killer.
I squinted at Linus to study him, and his eyes softened.
Then he frowned and said something strange.
“I guess I made a mistake after all.”
“Excuse me? A mistake?”
“Since you spoke to me out of courtesy, I acted without thinking.”
“What? Linus, what are you talking about?”
He looked at me with sad eyes, bit his lower lip, and even apologized.
“I’m sorry for making things awkward since you rejected my confession, Airevet.”
“Wait. I don’t understand what you’re saying. And I didn’t reject your confession.”
“…Huh?”
Linus blinked blankly.
No wonder he hadn’t contacted me since that day—he must’ve thought I said no.
Let me be clear: I didn’t reject him.
I just dodged the “I like you” with a comment about tomorrow’s weather being nice.
I had nothing to say.
It’s not like we agreed to date—there’s nothing to accept or reject.
What am I supposed to do about his feelings? Thank him? Bow?
I did want to respond warmly, but right now I had the future of this world and my ambitious beekeeping business on my shoulders.
Romance? Really?
Ah, the life of a body-switched girl.
While I grumbled at my cruel fate, Linus slowly smiled, realizing m
y answer.
“So… it wasn’t a rejection?”
Before I could even answer, his innocent, full smile bloomed.
