Chapter 15
Ariadne stood still and spoke calmly again.
At times like this, she knew she must not panic.
“Are you saying my name has been removed from the noble registry?”
She asked while trying her best to suppress her emotions. Today, more than anything, she didn’t want to cause a scene.
Honestly, this situation was ridiculous.
The Blieres Count family was so famous that not only nobles and knights, but even commoners knew of it. So it made no sense for a palace guard not to recognize Ariadne.
Moreover, the Blieres family was now the family of the Saint. The Saint’s influence was immense. People even said that while they might not know the Emperor’s surname, Cassius, they certainly knew Blieres.
So it was impossible for someone not to know Ariadne Blieres—the Saint Ashley’s older sister.
Ariadne quickly realized something else was involved.
She calmly assessed the situation.
Someone made sure I wouldn’t be allowed inside.
There was no other explanation.
And someone with enough influence to do this…
It must be Ashley.
It was obvious. Who else had the power to block her like this?
Ashley, who was always praised and admired, must have been very displeased when Canin asked to send Ariadne instead of her.
No wonder she’s anxious…
Canin’s request had caused quite a stir.
Rumors spread everywhere—whether the Saint had changed, whether Ariadne also had divine power.
Since the palace gave no official statement, the rumors only grew.
There were even absurd rumors that if Ariadne were sent instead, the Northern Empire would share its technology.
From Ashley’s perspective, none of this would be welcome.
Especially since there had already been many doubts about her Saint power before the Emperor recovered.
So she resorted to such a petty trick.
The Emperor’s condition improved at just the right time. Ashley, proud as she was, couldn’t deny it—even though she knew it wasn’t her doing.
She must be pretending to be calm and noble while secretly filled with anxiety.
So this whole situation was nothing more than taking out her frustration.
And she didn’t even know that Ariadne now had healing power.
How foolish.
Ariadne smiled lightly and decided to handle it calmly.
No need to play along with such childish behavior.
She stopped arguing and stepped back gracefully.
There was no need to fall for Ashley’s provocation.
Instead, she decided to wait until the Colosseum was fully opened.
The fourth floor would be open to everyone anyway. She could enter from there and find Diego.
He would be looking for her as well.
There was no need to force her way into the nobles’ section.
Diego would surely notice something was wrong.
He wouldn’t ignore the fact that she—who was supposed to enter with Ashley and the Count—was missing.
Trusting his sharp instincts, Ariadne quietly sat down and waited.
“……”
Time passed slowly.
Eventually, the Colosseum opened to everyone, and the atmosphere became lively for the hunting tournament’s opening.
Since it was the only day of the year the palace was open to all, people rushed inside excitedly.
Pushed by the crowd, Ariadne barely managed to get in.
“Ugh…”
There were so many people that it was hard to walk.
It felt like the entire empire had gathered here.
Compared to the first to third floors, security on the fourth floor was clearly looser.
Knights stood around here and there, but it was more for appearance than real control.
Ariadne searched for a less crowded spot.
She found a place with a clear view and took out the opera glasses she had brought to find Diego.
“Ugh…”
The fourth floor was extremely noisy and crowded.
People were shouting, some were already drunk, and all kinds of people filled the place.
What bothered her the most, however, were the couples openly showing affection.
Looking through the opera glasses, Ariadne sighed.
She wanted to quietly focus on finding Diego, but the surroundings were too distracting.
And the couples clinging to each other made her frown.
What is this…
Even when she turned her head, all she could see were couples.
Well, the hunting tournament was the biggest event in the Southern Empire. It made sense people were excited.
She herself had once stood among them—with Ian.
But still… it didn’t seem this excessive back then.
This place felt almost like a masquerade ball.
She frowned slightly.
“Ha…”
Masquerade balls were known for encouraging reckless behavior among nobles.
Although she had never attended one—since she had Ian—she had heard many rumors.
Every year, scandals would happen.
Someone getting pregnant by the wrong person, or people meeting others despite being engaged…
Compared to that, maybe this place was actually more proper.
Comforting herself with that thought, Ariadne raised the opera glasses again to search for Diego.
“Hmm…”
Diego had very unique hair—bright red like the sunset.
It stood out easily.
While red hair wasn’t rare in the Southern Empire, it was usually mixed with brown.
But Diego’s hair was purely red, making him easy to spot.
Ariadne thought she would find him quickly.
“Ugh… it’s higher than I thought.”
But she soon realized the distance between her position and the second floor, where the nobles were, was quite far.
She sighed.
Diego must already be looking for her.
Since he had a hot temper, she thought it would be better to meet him as soon as possible.
True to his nickname, “The Elegant Rogue of the Palace,” Diego was unpredictable.
Yet somehow, he always cleaned up his mess perfectly—hence the word elegant.
Not wanting to cause trouble, Ariadne continued searching carefully.
“Hm?”
While looking through the opera glasses, she noticed a man who looked familiar.
At first, she thought she was mistaken and even wiped the lens a few times.
“That person is definitely…”
The man was disguised as a commoner, blending into the crowd—but something felt off.
His neatly styled hair and flawless face made him stand out.
Wait… did Ian and I look like that when we disguised ourselves?
The thought annoyed her, and she shook her head.
“Oh my…”
After observing him more closely, she finally recognized him and sighed.
She had heard rumors that his relationship with his father wasn’t good these days…
“You shouldn’t rebel like this…”
She muttered to herself.
She felt she couldn’t just leave him alone.
Even though he tried to act calm, it was obvious he was very nervous.
“Ah… of all days.”
Of all days—when she was about to leave the palace!
Ariadne decided to ignore him.
There was no benefit in getting involved.
“What a poor disguise…”
He was someone who absolutely shouldn’t be here.
So she tried to ignore him—
“Hm?”
But it seemed he had recognized her.
Oh no.
He stood up and began walking straight toward her.
