Chapter 30
Step by step, preparations continued as the day of the banquet approached.
The royal marriage was still about a month away.
This meant that the banquet would effectively serve as their official engagement ceremony.
Agnès hadn’t considered that part, so she prepared even more diligently. She couldn’t afford to make mistakes or leave a bad impression!
“Wow~ My lady, this dress suits you so well! Romonde did such a marvelous job with the alterations!”
On the day of the banquet, even though it was the second time she had tried on the dress she had purchased and altered long ago, Tarin’s reaction was as fresh as ever.
Back then, she had worn it with no hair accessories, just her long platinum hair trailing down. Now, however, she had braided it to the side and let it fall over her chest. The hairstyle matched the dress so well, giving her an innocent and graceful look.
“If a goddess truly existed, she would look just like this.”
Even Rosa, normally stingy with compliments, spoke up when Agnès looked doubtful. Only then did Agnès find the strength to smile.
“Right? As expected of Lady Agnès of Rejern, the future Crown Princess!”
“Stop it, you’re embarrassing me…”
A goddess, really… They were so good at saying such shameful things. Nothing good ever came from standing out too much. But—she had to admit—when she remembered such words later, they gave her a little comfort.
She had already experienced this a few times, so she was starting to think she needed to react more modestly.
“My daughter is truly beautiful. I don’t want to send her to the Imperial Palace.”
Even the Marquis of Rejern joined in with hearty laughter, leaving her with no rebuttal. If she was going to be beautiful, she should at least be far lovelier than any other young lady present that day!
That way, no one could complain about her winning that splendid Crown Prince.
Tyrant or not, warm or cold—whatever else people said—he was the Crown Prince, and he was impossibly handsome. For the young ladies, that alone was everything. He was the perfect object of admiration.
And she would be the one to win him, through them all.
Perhaps this was what it felt like to marry an idol. And this banquet was like a live broadcast, where the noble ladies and madams could leave their ‘comments’ face-to-face. That thought made her nervous.
The Imperial Palace bustled with people. Glittering lights and flowers filled the halls. Music played from one side, while tables on the other were laden with food.
The nobles, with elegant postures and refined manners, stood in groups, stealing glances toward the entrance. They were waiting for someone.
And naturally, that someone was her.
All eyes turned toward the dignified entrance of the Marquis of Rejern.
There were those who resented the fact that he still held only the title of Marquis.
He was not only close to the Emperor but also a legendary knight of the Imperial Order, renowned for his strength. Before Croffen regained peace, he had fought in countless wars and earned great merit.
Yet, what he received in return was comparatively little. Many said that even a ducal title would not be enough to reward his achievements.
Of course, certain dukes—like the Duke of Singo—would not appreciate hearing such things.
“Marquis Rejern, you’ve arrived! Congratulations on the royal marriage!”
“And the rumors were true—you truly have a beautiful daughter. To think she would become the Crown Princess herself!”
As he entered the banquet hall, greetings poured in. Warm, genuine words, mingled with sycophantic flattery from opportunists—but he stood tall and unshaken.
Walking behind him, Agnès looked proudly at his back.
He was such an extraordinary man, far beyond anything she could protect or support. The fact that she even worried about him felt almost laughable.
“Oh my, what’s this? Something I’ve never seen before?”
“He never wore a necklace before, did he? And look, the jewel seems quite rare.”
The Marquis, who had calmly responded to everything with a gentle smile, suddenly twitched at the mention. He had dressed carefully to look good today, and apparently, it had worked—the necklace was quickly noticed.
“This? My daughter gifted it to me. She said she simply had to give it to her father.”
“My, how lovely. Such a beautiful heart she has.”
At his proud words, everyone turned their eyes to his necklace and showered it with praise.
Agnès’s pride was starting to turn into embarrassment, but the Marquis looked nothing but delighted. That, at least, was a relief.
Seeing how much he appreciated it, she thought it would be nice to give him more small gifts in the future.
They would serve as signs that she was doing well. And perhaps, as they piled up in the mansion, they would make her father—left alone at home—a little less lonely.
He wasn’t even her real father, yet her affection for him overflowed. She wanted to return as much as she had received—that, she realized, was what love was.
“The main character has arrived.”
The crowd, still focused on the Marquis, finally noticed Agnès standing behind him. She braced herself, willing her body not to tremble.
With all those words of praise pouring in at once, she felt like either her legs or her face muscles might give way.
Fortunately, the storm of greetings passed quickly.
Most of the guests had arrived by then, and the Emperor and Crown Prince stepped onto the platform.
“We greet His Imperial Majesty, the great Emperor of Croffen, and His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Everyone bowed in unison. The sight was so grand that before lifting her head, Agnès glanced around discreetly.
So this was the scale of the Croffen Empire.
The banquet’s splendor had hinted at it, but the sheer number of nobles who could gather in the capital at short notice was staggering. This was the path toward becoming the mistress of this vast empire.
And tonight’s banquet would mark the beginning.
Her nerves tightening, Agnès clasped her hands firmly together.
The Emperor’s greeting and announcement were largely formal. Agnès was brought onto the platform to stand beside the Crown Prince, and in a resounding voice, the Emperor declared that their royal marriage was just one month away.
Throughout, the Crown Prince rested his hand on Agnès’s slender shoulder.
To the audience, it seemed like a casual gesture of intimacy. But in truth, his grip was firm—strong enough that he could steady her without anyone noticing if she collapsed.
The pressure was almost painful, but thanks to it, Agnès could keep her smiling lips steady.
What a dependable man he was. When he faced her with such sincerity… how could she not be moved?
“Are you all right?”
He whispered with barely a movement of his lips, like a ventriloquist. Hearing his voice made Agnès smile even more softly.
“I’m fine. I suppose it’s because the man beside me feels so reliable.”
Though she couldn’t look at his face, she knew he was smiling faintly at her words.
It seemed she was now capable of saying slightly embarrassing things, too.
“I wore the necklace you gave me, but it seems Rejern stole the spotlight with his own first.”
Oh. Agnès subtly tilted her gaze to glance at his chest, trying not to make it obvious. Sure enough, he was wearing a white ceremonial uniform that displayed the necklace clearly.
The amber gemstone gleamed brightly against it.
As she gazed at it, a soft breeze swept through the banquet hall—probably from a window left open for ventilation.
“It’s beautiful. Isn’t it enough that I alone know how perfectly it suits you?”
Every little exchange with him seemed to stack up more affection between them. What a strange, fateful connection this was.
And then—
Within that rushing wind, Agnès heard something. A sound unlike any other: not the flow of air, not quite a human voice, but a muffled whisper.
Could it be—that same voice from before?
The banquet moved into its later stages.
Together with the Crown Prince, and under the jealous stares of many, she opened the ball with a dance. She had practiced diligently, but it still frustrated her that she made one or two small mistakes.
As the formality eased into merriment, Agnès slipped away from the crowd.
It wasn’t easy to stand in that dress and heels, dance, and keep composure in such a formal setting. She hadn’t underestimated it—but rest was necessary.
“What is that, really? Coming here dressed so simply? Shouldn’t she have gone all out, more dazzling than anyone?”
“Exactly. I expected her to appear stunning, but all she did was braid her hair and wear that plain dress? Isn’t that an insult to His Highness?”
Delicate voices prattled on without restraint.
Ah, the sound of the wind would’ve been better than this. Sitting on a sofa by the wall, resting her feet, Agnès wondered if they couldn’t see her at all as the young ladies gathered to criticize her.
“They kept saying she was beautiful—I thought she’d be breathtaking, but she’s not that much.”
“Is being pretty all it takes to become Crown Princess? His Highness is perfect in every way!”
“She’s just lucky she was born a Rejern. If not, could someone with just a pretty face ever become Crown Princess?”
Apparently, rumors had spread that she was stunningly beautiful. Since they had never actually met her, beauty was the only thing they could attack.
